Boston Celtics center Aron Baynes will require surgery on his left hand and is expected to be out of action for a month, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Baynes hurt his hand during Wednesday's home game against the Phoenix Suns, a 111-103 loss. The Celtics will rely on the likes of Al Horford, Marcus Morris and Daniel Theis up front to replace Baynes' production.
The 32-year-old Baynes is averaging 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game this season. He's in his second season with the Celtics, having helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017-18. Baynes averaged 6.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest in his first year with the Celtics.
Head coach Brad Stevens has plenty of depth to draw upon while Baynes is injured, but his absence does leave a whole in the Boston lineup. The Celtics have now lost consecutive games and sit at a mere 18-12 on the season, which is disappointing considering their status as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference entering 2018-19.
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The Celtics were able to come a handful of injuries to key stars last season. Kyrie Irving required knee surgery and missed the entire postseason, while Gordon Hayward suffered a gruesome leg fracture in the opening minutes of Boston's first game. That forced him to miss the entire 2017-18 season.
Boston pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, falling just short of dethroning LeBron James' team, however. But because of how close they got to reaching the NBA Finals, many expected the C's to win the East this season. Thus far, they certainly don't look like a title contender.
What This Means
The 18-12 Celtics will try and get by without one of their best defenders and energy players. Baynes will only miss a month of action, so Stevens will look towards his other forwards to replace the production left by the 32-year-old.