Celtics News: Shane Larkin Does Contact Drills During Shoulder Injury Rehab
Boston Celtics point guard Shane Larkin and assistant coach Jay Larranaga ran through contact drills as Larkin recovers from a shoulder injury.
Marc D'Amico of the Celtics' official site reported Larkin didn't appear to be favoring the shoulder and speculated he could return at some point during the Eastern Conference Finals:
Larkin hasn't played since Boston's Game 4 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA playoffs. According to NBC Sports Boston's A. Sherrod Blakely, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens expressed doubt the fourth-year guard would be healthy enough to play during the conference finals.
Boston has excelled without Larkin. It closed out its series with Philadelphia in five games and has a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East finals.
The Celtics have done extremely well all season to weather various injuries to Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris. While their title hopes don't rest solely on Larkin's availability, having him available would be a nice luxury in the postseason, when a team's depth is truly put to the test.
Terry Rozier, Irving's backup at the point, and Smart are Boston's only healthy guards, with Jaylen Brown splitting time between shooting guard and small forward. Getting Larkin back would allow Stevens to lean a little less on Rozier and Smart.
