Bucks backup big man Jericho Sims suffered a right thumb sprain on Saturday against the Pacers, but will play through it, at least for the time being. After suffering the injury, he finished the game against Indiana and suited up on Sunday against Oklahoma City.
However, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link), coach Doc Rivers said surgery was “for sure” a consideration for Sims, at least as of before Sunday’s game.
Milwaukee acquired Sims in the four-team deal that re-routed Khris Middleton to Washington. Sims sees rotation minutes off the bench for the Bucks. He scored four points and 11 rebounds on Thursday, but was quieter on the stat sheet after his injury. In 13 games with Milwaukee entering Sunday, Sims is averaging 2.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15.2 minutes.
Sims got in the first quarter against the Thunder, sporting a brace on his thumb. While the exact plan for Sims is still unclear, given Rivers’ pre-game comments, it’s possible they are seeing how much he can play through the injury before reassessing a potential surgery.
The former second round pick out of Texas spent the first three and a half years of his career with the Knicks. He’s currently the fourth big in the Bucks’ rotation. If he is to miss any time due to the injury, the Bucks will need to get creative with options to replace his minutes. Tyler Smith and Pete Nance are the only other players on the roster listed 6’10” or above.