Ron Harper Jr. is still listed day-to-day, the same status he carried into Wednesday's report, but the Celtics have now ruled him out of Saturday's preseason game against the 76ers because of his shoulder. Boston goes into that game without him in the mix, continuing a preseason stretch in which he has been in and out of the lineup.
What happened
Harper is day-to-day as of Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:41 p.m. ET, unchanged from his previous day-to-day listing. Jack Simone of BostonSportsJournal.com reports that Harper, dealing with a shoulder issue, has been ruled out for Saturday's preseason game against the 76ers. It is the latest swing in a shoulder situation that has run through the preseason: he was first listed day-to-day on Oct. 8 for an undisclosed issue, moved to a shoulder and arm designation that same day, cleared on Oct. 10, relisted day-to-day for his right shoulder and arm that same day, then cleared again on Wednesday before this new ruling-out for Saturday. No further detail on the shoulder has been announced.
What it means for the Celtics
Boston's next game on the schedule is Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET against the Hornets, with the 76ers game to follow Saturday, the one Harper will miss. Last season Harper averaged 10.9 minutes, 4.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists over 29 games, a bench role rather than a core piece of the rotation. In games without him, Boston has leaned on Jaylen Brown (34.4 minutes, 28.7 points), Derrick White (34.1 minutes, 16.5 points), Jayson Tatum (32.6 minutes, 21.8 points) and Payton Pritchard (32.3 minutes, 17.0 points), with Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, Anfernee Simons and Nikola Vucevic also absorbing minutes. The Celtics have no regular-season games yet in 2026-27, sitting at 0-0 with the season not yet underway.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Harper's shoulder status changes again before or after Saturday's preseason game against the 76ers. No expected return date has been announced. Boston still has preseason games remaining before the 2026-27 regular season opens, and Harper's status for those will depend on future reports. Teammates Luka Garza (nose, head) and Devin Carter (illness) are also day-to-day on the same report.
Is Ron Harper Jr. playing vs the Hornets?
The injury report lists him day-to-day as of Wednesday evening and does not rule him out of the Hornets game; the report only rules him out for Saturday's preseason game against the 76ers.
When will Ron Harper Jr. be back?
No expected return date has been announced. He is day-to-day with a shoulder issue and is already ruled out for Saturday's preseason game against the 76ers.