On a night when Jayson Tatum’s return had spirits sky high in Boston, there was one dark cloud:
Just-acquired center Nikola Vucevic broke the ring finger on his right hand and underwent surgery for it on Saturday, and likely will miss about a month, the team announced.
Nikola Vucevic today underwent successful ORIF surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger.
He will be reevaluated in 3-4 weeks and further updates will be provided as appropriate.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 7, 2026
ORIF stands for “open reduction and internal fixation,” and it’s the kind of surgery for displaced or other serious fractures where the surgeon opens up the body part and inserts metal fasteners into the bone to hold the pieces together (it is not just fingers, it can be any body part).
Vucevic suffered the injury in the first quarter of Boston’s win over Dallas and did not return to the game.
HLs: Tatum impresses in return as Celtics top Mavs
After being sideline for 10 months due to an Achilles injury, Jayson Tatum returned to the court and impressed in the Boston Celtics’ win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston acquired Vucevic at the trade deadline to add front-court depth and optionality heading into the playoffs, and since coming over from the Chicago Bulls, Vucevic has averaged 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Expect to see more Luka Garza with Vucevic out for the next month.
Vucevic is on an expiring $21.5 million contract with Boston and will be a free agent after this season unless he signs an extension with the team before July 1.