Warriors rookie Damian Jones tore his pec muscle 12 days before the draft. He fell to the Warriors at 30. They selected him and then immediately put him in an injury rehab program.

Ever since — as that recovery has leaked from the summer to training camp and into the first month of the season — there has been no firm target date for his return. Before the Warriors’ Thursday night game in Denver, the team finally gave one.

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Warriors injured rookie Damian Jones progressing

Warriors rookie Damian Jones joins our podcast In 10 days, on Nov. 20, Jones will be assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate, with intentions of making his season debut down there on Nov. 25 against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. That’ll give him five days of full contact practice and at least one game before returning to the Warriors.

“He’s really moving well,” Steve Kerr said. “Athletic kid. We’re excited about him.”

Jones is a bouncy 7-footer with agile feet and some projectable, intriguing offensive skills. But he’s 21 and, even before the injury, was considered a project. So Golden State doesn’t sound like it’s relying, or even expecting, him to contribute this season.

“This kid is a rookie and it takes awhile to get to know this league and understand how to be productive,” Kerr said. “So we’re not being overly hopeful for him to step in and play right away. But we do like his potential.”

Click here for a longer, more detailed story on Jones from this past summer.