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Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford on Friday hinted that rookie Cole Anthony could soon return to play after suffering a rib injury on Feb. 9 versus the Portland Trail Blazers.
Anthony suffered a non-displaced fracture of the right first rib and has been limited during his rehab. He began doing more on-court work this week and has progressed to shooting and ballhandling drills that he wasn’t able to do recently.
While Anthony has yet to be cleared to participate in full-contact practices, Clifford said the hope is Anthony will be ready to play when the Magic return from a five-game West Coast road trip that wraps up April 4 versus the Denver Nuggets.
Once Anthony is ready to play, the 15th overall pick will return to play point guard while Clifford anticipates newly-acquired rookie R.J. Hampton will be more off of the ball. The addition of Anthony figures to give the Magic a huge boost after dealing with several injuries as of late.
Of course, the soft timeline provided by Clifford is not set in stone. He has previously said the injury is a tough one to rehab so Anthony could ultimately need additional time before returning to the lineup, but the latest update certainly shows he is trending in the right direction.
Anthony, through 25 games played, is averaging 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this season.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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