The Boston Celtics were without Evan Fournier this week after he was placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
And now, it looks like his absence will extend beyond the three games that he was slated to miss.
According to our own Chris Forsberg, Celtics coach Brad Stevens confirmed that Fournier will not travel on the team's upcoming three-game west coast road trip. That means that the earliest he could return to action would be Saturday, April 17 against the Golden State Warriors at the TD Garden.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
That said, there's no guarantee that Fournier will be back for that game either. The C's will hope that he can get back on the floor in short order, but after they saw both Tristan Thompson and Romeo Langford miss weeks of action while in the protocols, the team needs to be prepared for Fournier to be out longer-term.
Celtics Talk Podcast - Celtics Talk Mailbag: Should we be excited after consecutive wins? | Listen & subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Losing Fournier is certainly bad news for the Celtics. He was just starting to hit his stride with the team and had averaged 20 points and three assists off the bench in two games before he was placed into the health and safety protocols.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Without Fournier on the bench, the C's will have to rely on Thompson, Langford, and Payton Pritchard to generate offense. If they can't perform consistently, it will fall on Boston's starters to carry them as long as Fournier is out.
Hopefully, Fournier won't miss too much time and the team will be able to stay afloat without him. But for at least another week, the Celtics are going to be playing shorthanded.