The Celtics could have their full roster available Sunday for the first time this season.
Backup center Nikola Vucevic, who has been sidelined since fracturing his ring finger on March 6, was upgraded to questionable for Boston’s game against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden.
The Celtics acquired Vucevic from Chicago ahead of the NBA trade deadline in early February. The 35-year-old appeared in 12 games before his injury, averaging 10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 21.7 minutes while backing up season-long starter Neemias Queta.
Vucevic quickly underwent surgery, and the Celtics announced he would be reevaluated in three to four weeks. He joined the team on its recent four-game road trip and took part in 3-on-3 drills with teammates and coaches before Wednesday’s win over the Heat, according to reporters in Miami.
Luka Garza, who was bumped out of the rotation by Vucevic’s arrival, has performed well in his absence, scoring in double figures in six of his last 11 games and posting the best offensive rating (125.0) of any Celtics player since Vucevic’s injury.
Garza enjoyed his two most productive games of the season during that stretch, tallying 22 points and seven rebounds in a March 20 win over Memphis and 20 and nine on 8-of-9 shooting in a loss to Atlanta on Monday. He’s shooting a team-best 44.1% from 3-point range this season on 1.8 attempts per game.
It’s unclear how head coach Joe Mazzulla plans to structure his rotation once all three of his top bigs are available.
Vucevic went down early in Jayson Tatum’s season debut against Dallas. Tatum, who missed Boston’s first 62 games while he recovered from Achilles surgery, has yet to share the floor with the veteran big man.
If Vucevic is able to return against Toronto, he and Tatum would have a maximum of five games to build chemistry before the playoffs begin later this month. Vucevic was the only player listed on Boston’s latest injury report.