HOUSTON – Twelve weeks ago today, Jodie Meeks felt a twinge in his right foot and the next day had surgery for a broken fifth metatarsal. A 12- to 16-week timetable for his return was declared.

It looks like it’s going to come in on the earlier end of that projection.

Unless a red flag pops up in the next few days, Meeks is on track to participate on some level in Sunday’s practice the Pistons have scheduled in Utah as they wrap up a four-game road trip that opens here tonight.

“He should be able to do at least some of what we do on Sunday and then, hopefully, by the end of that week he’d be pretty much back into practice,” Stan Van Gundy said after today’s shootaround at the Toyota Center. “And then we’ll see how it goes.”

Van Gundy has said for several weeks that he expected Meeks back around the All-Star break, either a little before or a little after. It now looks likely he’ll be back before the break, which starts after the Feb. 10 game against Denver – the night the Pistons will retire Chauncey Billups’ jersey.

“I’ve been out for so long that I’m ready now,” Meeks said today. “I’m just trying to be cautious, but at the same time optimistic. We’ll see what happens.”

Meeks said he’s had tests done and the results will need to be confirmed by his surgeon, Dr. Martin O’Malley of New York. O’Malley is the go-to doctor for athletes with foot injuries; his resume includes the repair of Brandon Jennings’ Achilles tendon and procedures similar to Meeks’ for Kevin Durant and Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant.

“I talked to the surgeon that did all of our surgeries, so he said he’s confident I’ll make a full recovery,” Meeks said. “I’m in the process of it now. I’m taking X-rays and CAT scans. We send all the results to him and he can look at it and pretty much tell through that.”

Meeks has been snakebitten in his two seasons with the Pistons, missing the first 22 games last season with a stress fracture of the lower back in addition to 39 games and counting so far this season. The back injury caused him to be virtually immobile for several weeks, which complicated his return. He’s been able to be more active while the broken bone in his foot heals, though.

“I’m more in shape than I was last year because I could move and do some stuff,” he said. “Last year, I was kind of sitting around. So I’ll be in better shape when I come back. It won’t take me long.”

After gaining weight during his down time last season, Meeks says he’s actually a few pounds lighter now than when he injured his foot in the Oct. 28 home opener against Utah. Van Gundy’s second unit – which only got Jennings back three weeks ago – has been playing well since early December, but a shooter like Meeks should only help make that unit more effective and give Van Gundy another wing to better manage the minutes of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris, both in the top five in NBA playing time.

“My role doesn’t really change,” Meeks said. “Come in and knock down shots, score, play hard on defense. Whenever it is that I come back, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to help. Hopefully, we can make a playoff push.”