Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Chris Duarte will not play Wednesday on the road versus the Orlando Magic due to a lingering left big toe injury.
Duarte initially suffered the injury on Feb. 13 in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was sidelined for the three games and missed the NBA Rising Stars game before returning to play on Sunday in a win over the Boston Celtics.
The 13th pick played against the Magic on Monday but eventually left early in the third quarter after aggravating the injury. Carlisle couldn’t offer a potential timetable for his return.
I don’t know what the timetable is going to be with him. He could miss a few games (or) a game. It is hard to say. Toes can be difficult so he is getting a lot of treatment. He did go through some things in shootaround today but we’re going to be careful with it.
Duarte has emerged as one of the top first-year players, averaging 13.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He was the ninth player in team history to be selected for the Rising Stars game, and the first since Domantas Sabonis in 2018.
The Pacers will continue a four-game road trip on Friday in Detroit before wrapping it up on Sunday with the Washington Wizards so it is possible Duarte can return to play at some point on their East Coast trek.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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