The Boston Celtics completed their season sweep of the Toronto Raptors on Sunday and improved to 10 wins in their last 12 games. Yet beneath the positive results, a lingering question remains unanswered: Can Nikola Vucevic actually become the impactful bench piece Boston desperately needs in the playoffs?
Vucevic, acquired from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline, made his return from a broken finger suffered on March 6. In his first action since the injury, the veteran center played just 13 minutes and scored only four points. While the Celtics welcomed him back, his limited impact did little to ease growing concerns about his fit and readiness heading into the postseason.
After the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla delivered comments that should worry Celtics fans. When asked about Vucevic’s integration, Mazzulla admitted the team still hasn’t seen the best version of the big man in a Boston uniform.
“He just wants to win. He has been in the league a long time,” Mazzulla said. “If anything, making sure he is aggressive enough to where we have the best version of him… I think up to this point, the best version of him for our team is what we saw in the Miami game. So I think we have to get that back and replicate that.”
The Miami game he referenced? Vucevic’s debut on February 6 — his very first night with the Celtics. That means after playing an entire month with Boston before the injury, and now returning, he has yet to match the performance he delivered in his first appearance. For a player brought in specifically to bolster the rotation, peaking on opening night is far from ideal.
With only four regular-season games remaining, the Celtics have almost no time left to properly acclimate Vucevic and determine his true role in the playoff rotation. Mazzulla described his return as “fine,” noting he made the right offensive reads but missed some opportunities. However, the coach also revealed that second-half matchup considerations limited Vucevic’s minutes even further.
Vucevic brings a different skill set than starter Neemias Queta — more polished as a scorer and passer — but he lacks the same defensive solidity. Mazzulla emphasized what he expects from all Celtics big men: controlling the paint defensively, rebounding, strong pick-and-roll defense, and serving as offensive connectors through screening and playmaking.
The reality is that Vucevic’s return has changed nothing about the underlying concerns. The Celtics traded for him to add depth and versatility upfront, yet he remains largely unproven in this system. His limited minutes, modest production, and the coach’s admission that Boston still needs to “get that back” from his debut performance all point to the same old questions:
Will Vucevic be ready when the playoffs begin? Can he provide the aggressive, dynamic presence the Celtics need? Or will he remain a marginal piece whose integration continues to lag?
With the postseason fast approaching, these unresolved issues are still haunting Boston. Four games is not much time to fix what a full month before the injury could not.