Joffrey Lauvergne (back) said he expects to increase his activity at Wednesday's practice, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports.

Lauvergne (back) said he expects to increase his activity at Wednesday's practice, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports.

Analysis:

Lauvergne said Tuesday that he's started running of late and is making good progress in his rehab from a back issue. He's without a target return date, but it looks as though the center could be back in the near future. The decided factor will be how his body responds to change-of-direction work and full-contact practices, which could come later this week. Once healthy, Lauvergne, who opened the season in a starting role, will have to battle Nikola Jokic and J.J. Hickson for minutes at center.