Explaining the Surgery Nikola Vučević Underwent to Repair His Broken Finger

The Celtics announced Vučević underwent ORIF surgery to repair his right ring finger, which could help him get back onto the court in a few weeks.

Feb 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Celtics announced on Saturday that recently acquired center Nikola Vučević could miss nearly a month after surgery to repair a fracture in his right ring finger. 

Here’s their full statement: 

“Celtics center Nikola Vučević today underwent successful ORIF surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger. The surgery was performed at New England Baptist Hospital by Dr. Herve Kimball, assisted by Celtics Team Physician Dr. Tony Schena. Vučević will be reevaluated in 3-4 weeks, and further updates will be provided as appropriate.”

So what is ORIF surgery? 

It stands for “Open Reduction Internal Fixation,” or in layman’s terms, an incision is made and some sort of stabilizing device like screws, a plate, or both, are used to put the bone back in place. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are three types of fractures that generally require this kind of surgery: 

1. A compound fracture, which is when the broken bone has pierced through the skin.
2. Comminuted fractures, which is when the bone is broken in multiple places
3. Displaced fractures, which is when the fractured piece of bone has moved and created a gap. 

The Celtics did not say what it was, but we can rule out a compound fracture because Vučević didn’t immediately run to the locker room. Comminuted fractures are serious and take a long time to heal, so we can rule that out as well. 

Displaced and non-displaced fractures are common in basketball. Baylor Scheierman is playing through a thumb fracture, which we can assume is non-displaced. That means the bone is, indeed, broken, but it’s still connected to the other piece of bone, thus it can heal on its own so long as it’s not jostled in any violent way. The brace the medical staff has fashioned for Scheierman is designed to prevent that. 

So because of the ORIF surgery, we can assume Vučević has a displaced fracture in his right ring finger which would not heal properly on its own because of the gap between the broken portion of the bone and the rest of the finger. Generally, screws, a plate, or some kind of fastener presses the bone together to hold it in place and accelerate the healing process. 

It’s possible Vučević will need a future surgery to remove whatever fasteners are used, but it also may not be necessary. 

Three weeks from today puts his early return date somewhere around March 28. The Celtics have a home game on March 27 and road games on the 29th and 30th. An optimistic timeline would give him about 10 games or so to get back into the flow with Jayson Tatum and the rest of the Celtics. 

One silver lining is that a finger injury won’t affect his ability to run or keep his cardio up during his time off. He’ll be able to do non-contact work, which can minimize the impact of the injury. Anything that keeps him sharp will be helpful during his recovery.