Following a victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Boston Celtics released an official statement regarding their veteran center, Nikola Vucevic.
The team confirmed that Vucevic underwent "successful ORIF surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger."
Vucevic suffered the injury during the Celtics' Friday night matchup against the Mavericks at home. The veteran center checked into the game off the bench late in the first quarter. Not even two minutes in, he had to come off and go back to the locker room.
The Celtics didn't waste any time reaching a diagnosis for Vucevic. Before the game even concluded, Vucevic was scheduled for surgery on Saturday morning. Now, the Celtics are hoping that Vucevic can get back in time for the playoffs.
According to the official statement, Vucevic will be evaluated again in 3-4 weeks.
The loss of Vucevic is a massive blow for the Celtics, who just acquired him one month ago.
Earlier this season, Vucevic was in the middle of his sixth season with the Chicago Bulls. Going nowhere anytime soon, the Bulls decided this was the year to start considering a rebuild. With a fire sale taking place ahead of the February trade deadline, the Bulls moved Vucevic to a contending Celtics team.
Although the Celtics missed Jayson Tatum for most of the year, they remained a top team in the Eastern Conference. Vucevic was a much-needed boost in a front court that lacks depth. Unfortunately, just 12 games in, the Celtics are back in the same boat.
Before arriving, Vucevic averaged 15.6 points and 9.0 rebounds with the Bulls as a full-time starter. On the Celtics, he was coming off the bench to produce averages of 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds.
Soon, the Celtics will fire up another playoff run. It's unclear what the future holds for Vucevic, but it seems the Celtics are optimistic about his chances of returning for his first postseason run since 2022.
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