Surgery For Celtics Star? Veteran Guard Opens Up About Injury

BOSTON — Jrue Holiday has battled nagging injuries throughout his second season with the Boston Celtics.

But the veteran guard’s latest ailment not only came as a surprise, it might keep him sidelined longer than any of his previous injuries this year.

Holiday missed his second consecutive game Sunday with the Celtics listing him with a right hand mallet finger injury. Holiday said he sustained the injury trying to grab a rebound in Wednesday’s road loss to the Detroit Pistons.

“I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t really hear of the term mallet finger until people were telling me I had mallet finger,” Holiday told reporters, per The Boston Herald’s Zack Cox. “They just told me that I broke my finger.”

Holiday added: “Next thing you know, I’m in a cast.”

The injury prevents Holiday from straightening his pinky finger. He doesn’t expect to need surgery to correct the issue, but he also doesn’t know when he will return.

“I don’t know. It’s the first time,” Holiday said. “I’ve jammed a lot of fingers but never really had this before, I don’t think.”

Holiday hasn’t tried to shoot, let alone catch a basketball since suffering the injury because of the “pain” he still feels in his finger.

The injury certainly could impact Holiday’s shooting, an area which the 34-year-old already struggled in this season. Holiday shot 42.9% from 3-point range last season, but he is shooting just 34.2% on those same shots during the 2024-25 campaign.

It’s never an ideal time to be injured. And with the playoffs starting in a little bit more than a month, it will be imperative for the Celtics to try to get Holiday healthy in hopes of another title run.

“Obviously a little frustrating,” Holiday said. “Would love to be as healthy as possible, but things happen.”