When Allen Flanigan underwent surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon in September, Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl said it would take 12-14 weeks for the junior guard to recover. And it appears nothing has changed with that timeline.

On Tuesday, Pearl told reporters (including Jordan Hill of the Opelika-Auburn News) that Flanigan’s recovery is still on track for him to return in mid-December. That means Flanigan won’t be ready for the start of the 2021-22 season, but he should be back by the time Auburn is playing SEC games.

Flanigan was among the Tigers’ best players last season, as he played in all 27 games and averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 steals per contest. That was a big step up from his freshman year, when he didn’t make much of an impact while serving in a bench role.

Without Flanigan, Auburn will need to try to replace his production. However, he should be back by the time the Tigers are playing their most important games. They play their SEC opener at home against LSU on Dec. 29.

It could take some time, though, before Flanigan returns to the level of production he showed last season.

Auburn, which is ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, opens its season with a home matchup against Morehead State on Nov. 9.