It isn’t injuries this time, but an illness could keep the Boston Celtics shorthanded
As if the injury troubles have not been bad enough for the Boston Celtics, multiple players have now been hospitalized with an illness. Fortunately, this is coming in the midst of a three day gameless stretch, but it remains uncertain as to whether or not Marcus Smart or Tyler Zeller will be ready for their next game on tuesday.
The worst part is the uncertainty that could follow. It is impossible to tell who may catch this same bug and how seriously it effects anyone else is impossible to determine at this point. While losing Zeller is not the end of the world considering his inconsistent role in the rotation, the Celtics have already seen how damaging it can be to lose two key players on a second unit who is far too young and not nearly deep enough.
According to ESPN’s Chris Forsberg, this is the same illness that forced Avery Bradley to miss the final game of 2016, and almost held Jae Crowder out on Christmas day. Clearly this bug is working its way around the Celtics lineup, and it is proving to be difficult to shake.
The good news is that while it may cause a missed game or two, there is no reason to panic over any of this. The Celtics have proven that they can overcome injuries, and missing out on these players for a game here or there should not be too detrimental. Although, it is frustrating considering how much better the Celtics have been with a full lineup building chemistry together.
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The best news is that Bradley is expected to return to action on Tuesday, and Isaiah Thomas is sticking to fist pumps (Via ESPN) instead of shaking hands until this issue is handled.
The Celtics will be facing off against a strong western conference team in the Jazz, and as much as they will want to be at full strength, they have made it clear that they will not be forcing anyone back into the lineup this season.
Bradley appears to be okay now and Crowder avoided missing any time, but both Smart and Zeller will not be playing until this is completely behind them.
With both Zeller and Smart being a part of the second unit, this could once again open up the door for Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown to take on a larger role. They have been inconsistent, but have shown improvement throughout the season. The illness absolutely sucks, but it can only help two of the most promising young players on the team to get an increase in minutes, even if it will be putting even more strain on a starting unit that has multiple players just getting over this illness.
