The Pistons have announced that Rodney Stuckey will undergo surgery tomorrow on his right thumb after fracturing his “distal phalanx” on Wednesday when part of his hand got jammed in the door of his car. A timeline for his return will be determined after Friday’s procedure. Per Pistons.com scribe Keith Langlois, the distal phalanx is essentially the tip of the thumb. Langlois also points out that Stuckey, a six-year veteran, missed 27 games his rookie year with a broken bone in his hand (Twitter links).
Stuckey, 27, was expected to compete for the Pistons’ starting shooting guard position this season alongside new point guard Brandon Jennings. While he could still land the job eventually, this injury certainly doesn’t help his chances. Veteran Chauncey Billups and rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will likely vie for the job to start the season while Stuckey recovers from his injury. For what it’s worth, Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News tweets that Kyle Singler is starting at shooting guard tonight for the Pistons in their preseason matchup against the Heat.