Two Key Celtics Land on Injury Report Prior to Nuggets Matchup

Ricardo Klein | 22 Hours Ago

Dec 27, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) drives the ball to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics are set to take on the Denver Nuggets in this crucial matchup on Tuesday; however, Boston could be without two of its key players.

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After the Celtics announced they had no players on the injury report, two of them suddenly appeared hours before tip-off: guard Derrick White and forward Jordan Walsh.

Injury Report update:

Jordan Walsh (illness, non-Covid) - QUESTIONABLE
Derrick White (illness, non-Covid) - QUESTIONABLE https://t.co/Z77aYzAafL

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 7, 2025

White and Walsh are on the injury report due to an illness.

The initial injury report for Boston was clean; however, White appeared on the report as he feels under the weather. His late addition to the injury report does not bode well for his status, and the Celtics could turn to Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser to pick up some of the slack if White is unable to play.

White has been an excellent player for Boston in his tenure, and this season is arguably his best. In 35 games, he is averaging 17.1 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from behind the arc in 34.3 minutes per game.

The 30-year-old guard has only missed one game this season.

As for Walsh, he is also dealing with an illness, and his status for tonight's game is in jeopardy.

Walsh is typically a fringe rotation player for Boston, as he's averaging 8.8 minutes across 26 appearances. His potential absence shouldn't impact Boston's rotation.

Although Walsh has been a fringe rotation player, there is a chance he could play a more significant role as the season progresses. The Celtics selected Walsh in the early second round of the 2023 NBA Draft out of the Univerity of Arkansas.

We've seen many players on the Celtics earn their way to the rotation, and Walsh could be that player as the season goes on, especially if key players sustain an injury.

The 20-year-old has spent most of his time in the G League, playing for the Celtics' affiliate, the Maine Celtics.

The Celtics will have their hands full on Tuesday as they face one of the better teams in the Western Conference.

Nonetheless, the Celtics are 13-4 on the road, and they rank fifth in the Eastern Conference with 11.0 offensive rebounds per game, led by Luke Kornet, who is averaging 2.1.

The Celtics have been less than impressive in their previous 10 games, averaging 114.9 points, 45.8 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 8.0 steals, and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 104.6 points.

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