Boston Celtics: injuries keep piling up, could hold C’s back from reaching full potential

Though the Boston Celtics have been on an absolute tear thus far in 2019-20, injuries have found a way to rain on their parade.

The Boston Celtics had a six-day break in their schedule, and they were able to get some much-needed rest. Unfortunately, the team suffered many injuries along the way that have hurt their depth for the near future.

To start, Marcus Smart’s nagging eye infection is still keeping him out of action, as the infection in his left eye has spread to his right eye as well. He has now missed the last four games for the Celtics, causing their defense to struggle in losses against the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers.

Gordon Hayward was announced to have foot soreness Wednesday afternoon, and will undergo an MRI Thursday after missing the Celtics’ last contest. Hopefully it’s just foot soreness and nothing more, but after Hayward came back from a month-long absence due to a fractured hand, the Celtics are being cautious with him.

Second-year man Robert Williams has been diagnosed with a bone edema in his left hip and he will be re-evaluated in three weeks. This is disappointing for Williams, as he was playing well and being set up to eventually take the starting Center role away from Daniel Theis. The Boston Celtics should definitely take their time with this injury, as they want to make sure it doesn’t effect his athleticism when he comes back.

Finally, rookie Vincent Poirier fractured his right pinky finger in practice this week, and will get back on the court in 4-6 weeks after undergoing successful surgery. After the injuries to Williams and Poirier, the Celtics’ frontcourt has gotten even smaller than before – something that was already a problem for the Celtics.

Luckily, the next two games for the Boston Celtics are against Detroit and Charlotte, so they should be able to secure victories even with a short-handed lineup. However, keep an eye on Pistons’ Center Andre Drummond — perhaps the best rebounder in the league — to take advantage of the Celtics undersized big men on the glass.

As for temporary replacements for all these injured players, for both Hayward and Smart, it’s pretty simple. Brad Wanamaker will play all the backup point guard minutes and run the bench units, while Hayward’s spot will be filled by a plethora of players, including Grant Williams, Semi Ojeleye, and Javonte Green. We even saw rookie Romeo Langford get his first significant playing time this season against Dallas.

However, for the replacements of Williams and Poirier, it may get a bit tougher. Coach Brad Stevens has looked towards Daniel Theis and Enes Kanter for traditional big man minutes, while Grant Williams has come in for small-ball lineups. Obviously, everyone wants to see Tacko Fall on the court, as he was just called up from Maine, but it’ll have to be in the right situation.

If Theis and Kanter get into foul trouble, or Kanter is getting killed defensively in a particular match up, we could see him play meaningful minutes. It’s unrealistic to both ask Tacko to be able to contribute this quickly and for Stevens’ to trust him enough to play him as of now. He’ll get his shot — and we’ll all be here watching for when he does.