Celtics’ Rajon Rondo could be back much sooner than first thought

Celtics guard Rajon Rondo could return to the court earlier than anticipated.

He apparently sustained only a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee instead of a full tear, Rondo’s agent, Bill Duffy, told CSNNE.com.

That means that the four-time All-Star could be back to full strength in six months, rather than being sidelined for up to a year. (Chicago Bulls’ guard Derrick Rose sustained a torn ACL in April, nearly 9 1/2 months ago, and is not expected to be back on the court until after the All-Star break later this month.)

Rondo was averaging 13.7 points and 11.1 assists this season before suffering the knee injury on Jan. 25 in a game against the Hawks.

The Celtics (26-23) are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and have won six games in a row.

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