Boston Celtics' big man Nikola Vucevic has missed the last 11 games with a fractured right ring finger. We'll provide the latest injury update and his potential return dates below.
Vucevic was Boston's trade deadline acquisition this year, trading away Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls for the big man.
Vucevic was picked up to provide some pick-and-pop capabilities to the Celtics' offense, filling a void that left when Kristaps Porzingis departed for Atlanta in the offseason.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, Vucevic hasn't had much time to familiarize himself with his teammates and develop chemistry.
In just 12 games with Boston, Vucevic has averaged 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 44.5% from the field and 35.1% from three. There's no doubt Boston would like to see him back sooner rather than later with the playoffs looming.
When could Nikola Vucevic return to the court?
According to Zack Cox of the Boston Herald, Vucevic has been "getting some cardio in" when he was spotted at a Celtics practice.
Cox also reported that head coach Joe Mazzulla said that Vucevic has "been able to do some on-court work with his left hand."
His return date is TBD, but he was initially expected to be out around a month when the injury first held him out of a game on Mar. 8. Here's a look at the Celtics schedule around Apr. 8:
Date | Away Team | Home Team |
Apr. 7 | Boston Celtics | |
Apr. 9 | Boston Celtics | |
Apr. 10 | Boston Celtics | |
Apr. 12 | Boston Celtics |
Those are the last four games of the Celtics' regular season schedule. Expect Vucevic to play in at least one of those games.
