And the way Bill Self described Garrett’s recovery on Thursday, the big, defensive-minded guard might not totally recuperate this season.

Self said during his weekly press conference that Garrett, who missed five games with a left ankle injury before rejoining the lineup at Texas Tech this past Saturday, is “not close” to 100 percent.

But the coach quickly clarified what he meant by that.

“Well, I say not close. He may be 85 or 90,” Self continued. “He still can’t jump off his left leg and he’s a left-leg jumper. He plays everything off his left leg for the most part.”

At this point, Self said the Jayhawks don’t know whether Garrett’s ankle will get back to 100 percent before the season’s conclusion.

“But he’s out there trying,” Self added.

Garrett, too, said on Thursday his left ankle remains less than optimal.

Where would he place that percentage range, based on how it feels?

“That’s a hard one,” Garrett answered. “I don’t know an exact number. I’m just still trying to get back to 100 percent right now.”

Garrett shot 4-for-6 and scored 9 points in KU’s loss at Tech, but didn’t record a rebound or an assist in 22 minutes.

Two days later versus Kansas State, Garrett logged 27 minutes, shot 2-for-4 and finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and no assists.

At times, Garrett revealed, there have been moments that remind him he still has farther to go in this rehabilitation process.

“Just knowing some things that I was able to do,” he said. “I’m just trying to get it back now.”

Making that happen involves treatment focused on regaining his previous explosiveness and strength in his left ankle.

Activities geared toward improving his agility, changing directions on the fly and stopping after running full speed have been a regular part of Garrett’s routine.

“I feel like it’s healing now,” he said, “and we’re basically just trying to get it back to normal.”

Self said KU’s coaches don’t have to monitor Garrett’s minutes. If anything, the coach shared, the 6-foot-5 guard from Dallas is a little behind with his conditioning, due to the couple of weeks his injury forced him to miss.

After games, Self reported, Garrett’s ankle hasn’t bothered him to a point of concern.

“He’s sore after everything,” Self said. “But I think it’s getting a little bit better as time passes.”

According to Garrett, his ankle “responded pretty good” after he played in two games in approximately 48 hours this past weekend.

A starter in each of the eight games before his injury, Garrett has taken on a reserve role while working his way back into form.

In the 10 Big 12 games he has played in this season, Garrett is averaging 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals, and shooting 54.3 percent from the field.

“He’s one of the toughest kids we have,” Self said, while discussing Garrett’s ability to gut through some pain and contribute what he can. “Everybody would agree to that within our program. He tried to come back faster than what he did and he just couldn’t do it. So certainly, I’m not saying we couldn’t have won the game without him on Monday, but it would have been very difficult to win that game without him. Just his presence and the 22 minutes, 27 minutes, whatever it was he gave us, I think certainly enhanced our positioning.”