Ron Harper Jr. was cleared on the Celtics' injury report Wednesday at 7:56 PM ET, coming off a day-to-day designation. He is available for Boston's game against the Hornets that night.
What happened
The Celtics cleared Ron Harper Jr. on their injury report Wednesday at 7:56 PM ET, moving him off day-to-day status. No injury detail or report comment was listed with the clearance. Harper Jr. had bounced between day-to-day designations over the prior week: day-to-day on Thursday, Oct. 8 with an undisclosed issue, then day-to-day for his shoulder and arm, cleared Saturday, Oct. 10, listed day-to-day again for his right shoulder and arm that same day, and day-to-day once more entering Wednesday before this clearance.
What it means for the Celtics
Boston opens its season against the Hornets on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 PM ET at 0-0, with no regular-season games played yet this year. Harper Jr. logged 10.9 minutes, 4.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game across 29 appearances last season. With him clear to play, he adds depth to a rotation led by Jaylen Brown (34.4 min, 28.7 pts), Derrick White (34.1 min, 16.5 pts), Jayson Tatum (32.6 min, 21.8 pts) and Payton Pritchard (32.3 min, 17.0 pts), with Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser, Anfernee Simons and Nikola Vucevic also in the mix.
What to watch
No expected return timeline has been announced, and none is needed now that Harper Jr. is cleared. The next injury report will show whether he holds that status into Boston's following games. The Celtics' two other reported injuries, Luka Garza (nose, head) and Devin Carter (illness), remain day-to-day and bear watching on upcoming reports.
Is Ron Harper Jr. playing vs Hornets?
Yes. The Celtics cleared him on their injury report Wednesday at 7:56 PM ET, taking him off the day-to-day list ahead of the game against the Hornets at 7:30 PM ET.
When will Ron Harper Jr. be back?
He is already back. He was cleared Wednesday, Oct. 14, after carrying a day-to-day designation; no further return date applies.