What else is new?
The Boston Celtics will be undermanned (as they’ve been virtually all season) when they play the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their second-round NBA playoffs series. Shane Larkin will miss the game with a shoulder strain, and he likely is out for the “foreseeable future,” the team announced.
Larkin suffered the injury after colliding with Joel Embiid early in Boston’s Game 4 loss Monday night.
#NEBHInjuryReport: Shane Larkin (shoulder sprain) is “very, very sore,” says Brad Stevens. “He’s out for tonight and the foreseeable future, but imaging suggested that surgery probably won’t be needed.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 9, 2018
Now, is Shane Larkin the key to the Celtics making a deep postseason run? No, of course not.
However, with Kyrie Irving out for the remainder of the season, Larkin has played an important role in spelling guards Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart. His loss throws a wrench into Boston’s guard rotations.
With Larkin out of the lineup, Rozier and Smart likely will play even bigger minutes, and both will have to do all they can to avoid getting into foul trouble.
Larkin, 25, is averaging 4.1 points in 15.2 minutes through 11 games this postseason.
