BOSTON — The undermanned Celtics received some pretty good news Wednesday, but it wasn’t all positive on the injury front.
Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk will attempt to make his return against the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden, returning to the floor for the first time since separating his right shoulder Feb. 10 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Yeah, I’m going to try it out,” Olynyk said before Wednesday’s game. “(My shoulder feels) the best its felt since it got hurt, so that’s a good thing.”
The presence of Olynyk, who will wear a protective sleeve on his right shoulder during the game, will be a welcome sight for a Celtics team that has struggled from 3-point range in recent contests. The 24-year-old leads Boston with a 41.3 3-point shooting percentage.
Yet news of Olynyk’s return was tempered by the news that the Celtics will be without another 3-point shooter, as Jonas Jerebko will miss Wednesday’s game with a sore left ankle. Jerebko stepped up in Tuesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers to the tune of 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
The C’s, of course, already are without swingman Jae Crowder, who went down Friday with a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss at least two weeks. Boston struggled Tuesday in his absence, but Olynyk’s return should give the Celtics a boost in one important facet of the game.
“I think if you’re going to play small, you need to be able to shoot, right?” Boston coach Brad Stevens said before Wednesday’s game. “So you’d better be able to make shots.”
Thumbnail photo via Nick Turchiaro/USA TODAY Sports Images
