Will Rondo Play Wednesday?
BOSTON (CBS) - The restrictions and limitations on Rajon Rondo have been slowly lifted by the Celtics since the point guard's return almost two weeks ago.
His playing time has increased slightly in the six games he's played in, as he logged 27 minutes in Tuesday's blowout loss to the New York Knicks, two days after he played 30 minutes in Sunday night's loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
But Wednesday night would be a big step should Rondo take the floor against the Philadelphia 76ers in Boston, playing in both games of a back-to-back for the first time since returning from ACL surgery on January 17.
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Rondo sat out the second half of a back-to-back last week, sitting out Boston's overtime win over the Washington Wizards. Head coach Brad Stevens sounded optimistic that Rondo would play prior to Tuesday's loss, but expressed some doubt following the game. Stevens admitted his star player is still feeling his way through his comeback.
"He's still in the rehab stage, but he's getting better and closer. I think he's moving better," Stevens said. "He's getting used to playing with these guys, and it hasn't gone fluid yet. But he's giving everything he has and he's been great on the bench and in the locker room."
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Rondo shot just 3-for-13 on Tuesday night, and despite a near-triple double on Sunday is playing like many expected: a player who just missed a year of basketball. With the lowly Sixers in town (they are just 14-31, percentage points below the 15-31 Celtics in the standings), there is no reason to push Rondo at such an early stage of his comeback.
In his six games, Rondo is averaging 6.7 points and 5.7 assists over 24.5 minutes.
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