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Injuries seem to be happening a fair amount in this year’s postseason. More so than usual. Some have been day-to-day while others have been extensive. The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat have had some brief scares with their players – Devin Booker and Kyle Lowry respectively – but they’ve pulled through. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers on the other hand might be in some trouble with Khris Middleton and Joel Embiid out indefinitely.
The Boston Celtics have certainly not been immune to this trend, but they have endured it thus far. The Celtics didn’t come into the playoffs fully healthy. Robert Williams III had been out since March 27th while recovering from a meniscus tear. While he came back in Game 3, it was clear he needed to shake off some rust.
Even after Williams’ return, it seems the Celtics are not currently devoid of the injury bug entirely. Jaylen Brown admitted after Game 4 that he was having hamstring problems but quickly iterated that he was fine. In spite of Brown’s assurances, the Celtics have been taking the matter seriously. With Game 1 on the horizon, Ime Udoka sounded optimistic about Brown’s availability.
Things can change, but for now, it sounds like Brown shouldn’t have any setbacks.
Udoka Says Williams Will be Back in the Starting Five
Anything positive coming from Robert Williams III is a positive for the Celtics. Because he had such a long layoff leading up to his return in their series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics took precautionary measures by having him come off the bench in Games 3 and 4. Well, between ramping up his minutes the last two games on top of having this added time off because of the sweep, it appears Williams should be fully up to speed with no restrictions when this next series starts. That includes being inserted into the team’s starting lineup.
Udoka told Brian Robb of MassLive that their strategy of working back Williams slowly has paid off dividends for them as Williams is slated to return to the team’s starting five in Game 1.
“He’ll be back in the starting lineup,” Udoka said. “That’s why I think it was valuable to get him those minutes in the previous series, not to jump back into his regular minutes and rotation the first time he touches the court. It was good to get him low minutes in Games 3 and 4 and get this week of preparation to build it up as well.”
This has to make the Celtics feel good that Williams’ recovery has come along swiftly enough that he’ll be able to handle the workload of starter’s minutes from here on out.
Udoka Downplays Al Horford’s New Thumb Injury
A recent photograph surfaced of Al Horford practicing with a bandage around the thumb of his non-shooting hand, which would be somewhat concerning to anyone at first glance.
However, Udoka was quick to downplay the seriousness of Horford’s thumb injury, attributing it to being a “common knick and bang from the playoffs.”
Udoka is correct in this matter, and not specifically with Al’s injury. In the postseason, teams play harder because they are playing at a higher gear in the hopes of making an extended run in the playoffs. So it only makes sense that some guys get a little dinged up along the way. If there’s anyone on this Celtics roster who knows this firsthand, it’s probably their most experienced player, Al Horford.
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