The Boston Celtics suffered a significant setback on Friday night when starting center Nikola Vučević exited their home matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after just under two minutes due to a fractured right ring finger. The team announced Saturday that Vučević underwent successful surgery to stabilize the fracture and will be reevaluated in three to four weeks.
Vučević was injured early in the first quarter when he appeared to jam his finger during a play near the basket. After being examined by Boston’s medical staff, he headed to the locker room and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game. The 35-year-old big man was in his 12th game with the Celtics after being acquired from the Chicago Bulls on February 3 in a trade that sent guard Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick to Chicago.
In his brief Boston tenure, Vučević had provided steady frontcourt production and spacing. Heading into Friday’s game, he averaged 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game, shooting 44.5% from the field and 35.1% from three-point range. His presence had been a clear positive: Boston posted a plus-13.4 net rating with Vučević on the floor this season compared to plus-3.4 with him off (per NBA.com stats).
The timing couldn’t be worse. Friday marked Jayson Tatum’s long-awaited season debut after missing the first half of the campaign recovering from a ruptured Achilles suffered in last year’s playoffs. With Tatum potentially ramping up slowly, the Celtics were counting on Vučević to anchor the center rotation and provide reliable floor-spacing and rebounding next to Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis (who has also battled injuries).
Now, Boston will turn to Neemias Queta and Luka Garza to lead the center minutes. Queta has shown defensive upside and energy in limited action, while Garza offers bench scoring and stretch-five ability. However, neither brings the same combination of size, experience, and three-point shooting that Vučević provided.
This latest injury adds to a challenging stretch for Boston’s frontcourt depth. Despite the setbacks, the Celtics remain the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference at 41-21 and have won 12 of their last 15 games. Tatum’s return – even if gradual – combined with Jaylen Brown’s MVP-caliber play and Derrick White’s elite two-way impact, keeps them firmly in the title conversation.
Still, losing Vučević for 3-4 weeks during this critical late-season push could force Mazzulla to lean heavily on small-ball lineups or ask more from Horford and Porziņģis. The Celtics’ next game is Sunday on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers – a tough test without their starting center.
Celtics Nation, how concerned are you about Vučević’s absence? Can Queta and Garza hold down the fort, or does this expose a real vulnerability with Tatum just returning? Drop your thoughts below – Boston’s path to another deep playoff run just got a little bumpier.