Indiana Pacers rookie Chris Duarte did not practice on Wednesday due to a left toe injury, head coach Rick Carlisle said.
Duarte initially suffered the injury on Feb. 13 in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He logged just four minutes of action in the contest and was eventually ruled out of returning to play. He stayed back in the locker room to receive treatment.
The 13th pick missed the last two games for the Pacers prior to the All-Star break. He was also ruled out of playing in the NBA Rising Stars game on Friday due to the injury and was replaced by Golden State Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga.
Coach Carlisle provided the following updates:
Isaiah Jackson (right ankle) was a full participant.
Chris Duarte (left toe) did not practice.
T.J Warren (left foot) participated, but there’s no timetable for his return.
Myles Turner (left foot) is “still a couple weeks out.”
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 23, 2022
Duarte has emerged as one of the top first-year players this year after averaging 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He was the ninth player in team history to be selected to compete in the Rising Stars game and the first since Domantas Sabonis in 2018.
The Pacers will likely be without Duarte for at least the next game or two as he continues to recover. The severity of the injury is not known but the team will certainly be cautious with it and not rush him back into action too quickly.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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