Twenty-six days removed from spraining his left foot, Charlotte Bobcats captain Gerald Henderson had been running and jumping.

Thursday he started scrimmaging. Just one-on-one, then two-on-two, but this was progress. When will he be back in uniform?

“I think I know my body pretty well. I’m going to try to push it, but I’m not stupid,” Henderson said. “I’ll know when to go with it, and it will be soon.”

Henderson has missed a dozen games so far with the injury. He describes his foot as “delicate,” still prone to getting sore after workouts. Thursday he pushed himself hard, not only in workouts with Cory Higgins, but in a series of baseline-to-baseline sprints afterward. By the time he spoke to reporters, Henderson was drenched in sweat.

“It was cool,” Henderson said. “I’ve still got a little bit to go, as far as getting the pain out of there.”

Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap said there’s no timetable for Henderson’s return, and when he does come back the priority will be not to overuse him initially and risk re-injury.

“Timetables create frustration within the injured, the team and the organization,” Dunlap said. “I have to be his conscience – not to bring him back too soon.”