Bobcats center Al Jefferson will return to lineup on Monday

In the off-season, the Charlotte Bobcats paid top dollar (3 years and $41 million) for big man Al Jefferson in an effort to jump start their fledgling franchise. So far, the team is certainly playing better basketball (3-3 record through 6 games), but Jefferson has only appeared in one game due to injury.

Fortunately, the latter of those things will change on Monday night, as Jefferson is poised to return to action when the Bobcats host the Atlanta Hawks.

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is reporting that Jefferson will be in the starting lineup for the first time since the season opener on October 30th. On that night, the 28-year-old big man played 30 minutes against the Houston Rockets, but left the arena hobbled by a sprained right ankle. This was especially ugly due to the fact that Jefferson was already having ankle issues in the preseason, but apparently, 12 days of rest will be enough.

Jefferson should help to improve what has been the league’s 27th-best offense this season (scoring just 94.8 points per 100 possessions), but it will be crucial to keep an eye on his mobility, as it could hamper his already limited ability on the defensive end. It’s not every day that a team can add a big man with career averages of 16.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, but that is the situation for the Charlotte Bobcats tonight.