Just when the Boston Celtics had finally become fully healthy with Jayson Tatum's return, they then lost the privilege almost immediately, as Nikola Vucevic suffered a finger injury that will keep him out for what could very well be the rest of the regular season.
ESPN's Shams Charania confirmed (stupefyingly quickly) that Vucevic will be out a month after his ring injury.
Boston's Nikola Vucevic is expected to undergo a procedure on Saturday for his fractured ring finger and miss approximately one month, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/AtHQEzstmI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 7, 2026
Vucevic has overall been pretty solid as a Celtic, but far from dominant. It is a shame that this happened in part because it would have been better to see him not only be further integrated into the team, but they also could have gotten a glimpse of what he looked like next to Tatum.
However, even if he was the prized acquisition of the NBA trade deadline, this isn't by any means a disaster for Boston because it also means Luka Garza will be re-inserted into the rotation.
Garza has played well enough to deserve another shot
The unfortunate consequence of the Vucevic trade was relegating Garza to a role as a stay-ready player in Boston, even though he had proven his worth to the Celtics. Vucevic understandably got the nod because of his abilities and reputation.
However, because of how good he was before the Vucevic trade, Garza is an ace in the hole Boston knows too well in case something this happened. Even before the injury, Garza only continued to prove how good he was whenever the Celtics called his name. Once they inserted him against Dallas, he didn't skip a beat.
Another three for Luka Garza, he is now in double figures pic.twitter.com/256IkDQeJj
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) March 7, 2026
He's still a presence on the inside, he still hustles at every given moment, and can still spot up for the open three. Vucevic may get the call as the primary backup big when Boston is at full strength, but Garza has proven that he's better than your average "break glass in case of emergency" big man.
Celtics may sign another big anyway in case this get worse
So Boston is in good hands even with Vucevic out, as Garza and Neemias Queta proved beforehand that they can hold down the fort. They even have Amari Williams in case, by chance, one of those two joins Vucevic on the injury report.
However, the Celtics technically have three open roster spots and only need to use two. Vucevic's indefinite absence may push them to sign another big man on the open market. It's not like there's a lot to choose from, but any contending team would be proactive in a situation like this.
He never proved himself to fit with the team, but at times like these, someone like Chris Boucher would have come in handy for Boston.