Just when he was starting to find a groove with his new team, Boston Celtics big man Nikola Vucevic broke his hand. It isn’t the first time the Montenegrin big man has fractured a bone in his hand since joining the NBA, but that doesn’t make it easier for him to swallow, either. “I was hoping on the X-ray (for) something different, but it showed a break,” said Vooch via the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “Frustrating with the timing, very obviously, always very frustrating when you get injured.”

“The good thing is I can still do some stuff on the court,” he continued. “That will help me for when I come back … hopefully I get a couple games before the playoffs, get back in rhythm with the guys that week between regular season and playoffs, every­thing’s going as smoothly as possible.”

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When the play he hurt himself was unfolding, Vucevic did not even see how it happened. “I only saw it from the kind of angle where I see my back,” he explained, suggesting that he got tangled up with another player’s hand as they swiped at the ball.

Mar 2, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Tip off between Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) and Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Mar 2, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Tip off between Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) and Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

“I assume our fingers got caught or something,” he added. “All I felt was like a little pop, so I knew something was wrong right away. A lot of times you usually hope it’s just dislocated, you just try to put it back. Just a freaky play.”

“I haven’t had much pain or anything; everything has been going well,” he added, without setting a date on a potential return. “The swelling is coming down and been working the range of motion. So hopefully the X-ray is clean at three weeks and I can start doing some stuff and just getting back to being comfortable and building strength in the hand.”

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics center Nikola Vucevic gives update on status of hand injury