Jerryd Bayless‘ innocent-looking injury may keep him sidelined a bit longer than originally thought.
Bayless could miss a week and a half due to the sprained left big toe he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters on Tuesday. If so, Bayless could miss as many as six games, starting with Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat.
“At first, I was told 7-10 days, maybe a little less than that,” Stevens told reporters in Miami. “But he’s obviously going to be out [Tuesday] and probably [Wednesday against the Washington Wizards] as well.”
Cue all the tough guys who will mock Bayless for being on the shelf so long with an itty-bitty toe injury, but the big toe is kind of important when it comes to playing basketball. Any discomfort or pain in the big toe can affect a player’s ability to balance and push off the ground when jumping, running or cutting — basically, any movement involved in playing the sport.
Bayless was a nice midseason pickup and a capable backup ballhandler, but his presence isn’t so important the Celtics can’t afford to live without him. With Rajon Rondo‘s playing time set to increase and Phil Pressey playing well, the Celtics can afford to wait for Bayless to get back to full strength before putting him back on the court.
