When Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic hollered at Jayson Tatum to tell reporters something nice about him during his Wednesday morning media availability, he laughed and alluded to looking forward to finally getting to team up.
“He’s been working his ass off. He’ll be back soon, I hope.”
“Soon” seems like it could be the case.
Vucevic went through some on-court work in front of the media at Kaseya Center. The 35-year-old partook in halfcourt and full-court three-on-three with Celtics coaches, as part of his recovery process after breaking his right ring finger last month.
Vucevic getting some on-court work in, too https://t.co/FrRHK2MygZ pic.twitter.com/3B8xoY0aIC
— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) April 1, 2026
The big man fractured his finger just minutes into his shift back on March 6, and was immediately given a three-to-four-week timeline for a potential return. According to that, he should be getting close now, nearly four weeks removed from the incident.
Though the team hasn’t given any official update on the big man, who was supposed to be re-evaluated three weeks following his March 7 surgery, the scrimmage work he was doing at Kaseya Center ahead of their matchup with the Miami Heat is a sign that he’s ramping up.
Nikola Vucevic's fit next to Jayson Tatum should be sweet
When he does eventually return to action, he’ll have a chance to start developing chemistry with Jayson Tatum. He had just begun that process minutes before getting injured.
That same March 6 matchup with the Dallas Mavericks also served as Tatum’s return to the court. When Boston acquired Vucevic in a deal that sent Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls back in February, many were excited for his potential fit alongside Tatum.
As a 40.2% and 37.3% three-point shooter across the last two seasons, respectively, he should be a great floor-spacer for the Celtics star forward to play with upon returning. His first 12 games as a member of the Cs have been solid.
Vucevic, so far, is averaging 10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 35.1% from long range. He and Tatum, together, should help Boston even further strengthen their presence on the defensive glass -- an area where they struggled earlier in the season.
Since their slow start, the Celtics have climbed the ranks significantly. In both February and March, the two months in which they’ve had one of the two rebounding machines on the floor, they’ve ranked second in defensive rebounding percentage. That number should keep climbing once Vucevic is back in the lineup.