Celtics SG Keith Bogans out ‘indefinitely’ with thumb sprain

It isn’t the most “high-profile” subtraction from what is an interesting (to be kind) roster, but the Boston Celtics will be without one of their veterans for the foreseeable future.

The above report is from A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, but the fact that Bogans’ thumb is a diagnosed issue has been confirmed by multiple outlets, including the team.

As mentioned above, this isn’t a disastrous loss for the Celtics, but it isn’t a throwaway (as some would claim) either. The 33-year-old veteran is penciled-in as a bench piece for this year’s version of the Celtics (after his inclusion in the blockbuster that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn), but he’s a useful player when forced into duty. Bogans was formerly a defensive “stopper”, and while he isn’t quite at that level anymore, he’s an above-average defender with a career 3-point percentage of over 35%.

The rotation is unchanged for Boston, as they were expected to use Jordan Crawford, Marshon Brooks, Avery Bradley, and Courtney Lee ahead of Bogans for this season. The major loss for the veteran 2-guard is as a leader on an extremely young team, and his absence also leaves a hole if Brad Stevens were to look for a shutdown defender on the wing to pair with Avery Bradley in an “All-D” lineup.

We’ll likely see Bogans this year, but as of now, there is no defined timetable for his return.