Evans gets a real bang out of Raptors' practice

Reggie Evans, the long-injured Raptors defensive specialist, returned to full-contact practice on Monday, banging with his teammates for the first time in more than three months.

"Today was a fun day for me," he said. "I finally got to a good stepping stone. ... I've got some work to do."

Evans's presence on the floor – and the attention he drew from a gaggle of reporters in the workout's aftermath – earned favourable reviews from teammates. His scrum with the media was interrupted by hooting and hollering from numerous Raptors, among them Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack, the latter of whom repeatedly shouted, "The king is back!"

How did Evans play? He was slow to the ball, his jump shot looked wonky and he appeared out of shape, according to various accounts. And, for a guy who hasn't played since damaging ligaments in his left foot in an Oct. 14 pre-season game, none of that was unexpected. But he managed to grab a steal, according to the post-scrimmage boxscore Evans kept in his head, and he played hard, which is his calling card.

"I love playing against Reggie. He only knows how to play one way and that's all out," Bosh said. "I think it's good to have him back practising. Once he gets in shape, I think he can really help us."

Evans has said he hopes to make his regular-season debut for the club on Feb. 17, the first game after the all-star break.

"When that time comes, it'll be a big day," he said.

But as much as Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors general manager, has lamented Evans's absence, Jay Triano, the Raptors coach, put the forward's impending return in some perspective.

"We're excited about having him back," Triano said, "but I think a lot of people have been putting some undue expectations on him. I mean, to have him on the floor means we have to take somebody off the floor and Amir Johnson has been pretty good in his role as an energizer.

"(Evans) is not going to come back and be a saviour. We're excited about having him back because he gives us something in the toughness factor and the rebounding factor and the defensive factor that we think we can use to get better."