Marcus Good stays with no timeline for return from ankle damage

BOSTON — Marcus Good felt a fiery ache by his proper ankle when he fell injured in Toronto earlier this month. He motioned to the bench and knew instantly he wouldn’t return to the sport.

Sitting out the next 4 video games already paid off for Good, who stated at apply on Tuesday he’s already feeling higher than he did this far out from injuring the identical ankle within the preseason. He hasn’t returned to the ground but and suffered a bone bruise, however is happy with the progress he achieved already. Robert Williams III, additionally out with an ankle sprain he suffered towards the Knicks, continued treating it on Tuesday. Mazzulla stated it’s attainable he returns on Wednesday.

“The wonder, it’s an extended season, don’t must rush, so we’re simply taking it day-by-day … they’re very small enhancements at this level, however enhancements nonetheless,” Good stated. “I’m simply making an attempt to attend for it to heal slightly extra, due to the bone bruise and issues like which are occurring with it. I don’t wish to go on the market and put an excessive amount of stress on it early and now we’re beginning again at day one.”

Good watched the Celtics lose three straight video games in his absence and practically drop a fourth on Saturday if referees referred to as a last-second foul on Jayson Tatum. Boston escaped, a credit score to Malcolm Brogdon and Jaylen Brown’s scoring away from the stress defenses positioned on Tatum. Derrick White re-entered the beginning lineup making an attempt to keep up constant spacing round double-bigs, one thing Joe Mazzulla admitted they’re combating.

Boston outscored opponents by two complete factors with Good off the ground in his absence, down from +112 by the Raptors sport whereas he sat. The Celtics leaned into Tatum minutes, over 38 per sport this month, to alleviate stress on the offense, which ranks twenty sixth since Good went down. Mazzulla defended the choice, once more blaming additional time.

“Possibly once you undergo one thing and discover ways to navigate it, you’re higher once you get again,” Mazzulla stated. “I feel his pure method to how do you maintain a degree of power and a degree of healthiness all through your complete season. So I belief how he takes care of his physique, I belief the individuals round him and I belief every little thing he does. Will there be moments the place now we have to chop his minutes down? Sure, completely.”

“I’m not in favor of taking part in guys till they will’t play anymore. On the similar time, I belief his work ethic and I belief the individuals round him to suppose that he took what he realized from the Finals and was capable of apply that in his summer time works, in his preseason exercises and in his every day method to how he takes care of himself.”

The Celtics face the Nets on Wednesday and Suns on Friday after a three-day break, going by a apply session on Tuesday after the NBA named Mazzulla the pinnacle coach of Crew Giannis attributable to Boston’s finest file within the east by the season’s first half. Good will sit these video games out earlier than he positive aspects a greater concept of his timeline, which can weigh the good thing about taking part in just a few video games earlier than the break towards sitting out by its entirety.

If the damage occurred within the playoffs, Good pictured himself taking part in by it the night time it occurred. He’s not inserting any stress on himself to return within the common season, particularly because the ailment lingered into coaching camp when he final suffered it in Might.

Boston performs eight extra video games till the break over the subsequent 15 days, Good already sat for 10 and ready till the break would accumulate 33 days till his subsequent sport, in comparison with 24 if he comes again for the Bucks sport on Feb. 14 on the entrance finish of the back-to-back getting into the break.

“We haven’t made any selections like that but,” Good stated. “Proper now, we’re taking it in the future at a time. It’s a kind of issues the place if I’m feeling ok to get on the market, I’ll be on the market. If not, then there’s no have to attempt to get out for a sport or two once we’ve received all-star developing. I’ll in all probability know within the subsequent couple of video games whether or not or not that’s the case.”