From one major injury to another the Boston Celtics have seemingly gone. The Celtics were dominant in the period without star man Jayson Tatum, who returned in the recent win over the Dallas Mavericks.

However, during the game, center Nikola Vucevic ended up picking up a fracture in his right finger, with the Celtics now posting an update about the injury.

“The hope in Boston is that Nikola Vučević is back before the playoffs. The Celtics say he’ll be re-evaluated in three-to-four weeks after surgery this morning to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote in a post on X.

Vucevic suffered the injury early in Boston’s 120–100 win, following which a surgery was performed at the New England Baptist Hospital by Dr. Herve Kimball, with the Celtics noting that Vučević will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.

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The injury occurred just two minutes into the first quarter when Vučević caught a post entry pass while being defended by Moussa Cisse. As Khris Middleton rotated over to help, contact with Vučević’s hand led to the fracture.

Although the veteran briefly ran back on defense, he exited the game shortly afterward and did not return, finishing the night with zero points and zero rebounds in just two minutes played. Friday also marked Jayson Tatum’s return after roughly 10 months recovering from a torn Achilles.

Since arriving in Boston via a trade from the Chicago Bulls before last month’s deadline, the 15-year NBA veteran had quietly filled a crucial role as a stabilizing interior presence. In 12 games with the Celtics, Vučević has averaged roughly 10.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game.

Without him, Boston’s center depth becomes noticeably thinner. Neemias Queta has been productive in limited minutes, averaging 9.9 points and 8.2 rebounds. Luka Garza remains the primary reserve option, while rookie Amari Williams has appeared in just 16 games, averaging 7.2 minutes per contest.