Sneezing hurts, but Avery Bradley hopes to return from hip injury soon
BOSTON – Avery Bradley may not be able to sneeze or laugh without feeling immense pain, but he’s still going to try to return from a hip injury in time for the Celtics’ road matchup in Memphis on Sunday.
Boston’s starting shooting guard missed the last two games after suffering the injury during Saturday’s loss to Brooklyn.
“I got hit just in the right spot and got a little hip pointer,’’ Bradley said Wednesday night. “It’s actually in a weird spot because it’s in a spot that hurts even more because of the amount of muscles you use [there] on a daily basis. It just swelled up instantly. At the time, I thought I was fine until I went back into the game and Brad had to sub me out.’’
Bradley has no history of hip issues, so he was not prepared for the level of agony the relatively common injury can cause.
“It still hurts me a little bit to move or even cough,’’ Bradley said. “The worst is sneezing. It was painful, but the trainers are doing a great job. We’ve been doing two-a-days, so I feel a lot better. It’s not swollen anymore, so I’m excited to get back on the court…Everyone told me it’s very painful, but I didn’t think it would be as painful as it really is.’’
With the injury being essentially a bruise, Bradley sounded optimistic about his recovery timetable.
“It’s just a pain tolerance [thing],’’ he said. “I think I’ll be fine. I just need to make sure it’s padded up. I just need to worry about getting hit in that spot again. I feel like I can protect it good enough to the point where I can go out there and play and not think about it.’’
Evan Turner has filled for Bradley in the past two games at the shooting guard position, scoring in double digits while playing alongside Isaiah Thomas. Even with Turner’s strong performances, Bradley is anxious to return to the court and help his teammates maintain some consistency in the backcourt.
“Some of the movements that I make really irritate it a little bit, but like I said I’m trying to get out there on the floor and help my team. I kind of made my own timetable, as of right now trying to come back on Sunday, so that’s our focus right now,’’ said Bradley.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com