Brandon Jennings returns to team practice

Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings has returned to contact practice for the first time since rupturing his Achilles tendon in January.

Jennings has been taking part in shooting drills in recent weeks away from his teammates, but he was cleared to play four-on-four games with the rest of his team on Thursday as he closes in on a comeback.

Despite being on the sidelines for so long with a surgically repaired Achilles, the 26-year-old insists that he was confident on the court as he stepped up his recovery.

"I wasn't nervous at all," Jennings told reporters. "I just didn't think about it once I got out here on the court. Everything I've been doing is by myself, so being able to have some contact and being pushed around was actually cool.

"I want to practice again tomorrow. I don't want to back off. I want to keep going. I'm going to play more four on four and maybe get a chance to go up and down."

The Pistons currently hold a 5-3 record ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.