Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Friday said rookie Chris Duarte is recovering well from a left toe injury and is close to returning to game action.
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 did not practice with the Pacers on Wednesday but eventually made good progress with the injury and was a game-time decision on Friday versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. He attempted to play but was ultimately unable to go.
[mm-video type=video id=01fwjejhw8dq91smy524 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fwjejhw8dq91smy524/01fwjejhw8dq91smy524-0d7eb96a4b8ecf54e9165ff5d6e25cfc.jpg]
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.
With the Pacers playing on Friday, Duarte could return on Sunday versus the Boston Celtics. They will then face the Orlando Magic for a pair of contests on the road so Duarte figures to be back on the court within the next few games given his recent progress.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[lawrence-related id=55810,42315,39949]
[listicle id=72963]