Rodney Stuckey Injury: Pistons Guard Breaks Thumb After Slamming It In Car Door, Out Indefinitely After Surgery

Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey is out indefinitely after breaking his thumb by slamming it in a car door.

Minutes before the Pistons’ preseason game against the Miami Heat on Thursday, team officials announced that Stuckey had suffered a broken right thumb, the Detroit Free Press reports. The 27-year-old combo guard reportedly suffered the thumb injury when he caught the finger in his car door on Wednesday afternoon.

Team doctors took X-rays of Stuckey’s thumb, which revealed that he had suffered a break, the Detroit Free Press reports. The Eastern Washington University product will undergo surgery on Friday, but team officials have yet to reveal a timetable for his return to the court.

The Detroit Free Press speculates that the broken thumb will likely cause Stuckey to miss a “considerable amount of time.” Stuckey broke a bone in his left hand during his rookie season, and missed 27 games as a result of the injury.

Pistons head coach Maurice Cheeks has been complimentary of Stuckey’s work as a defender this preseason, the Detroit Free Press reports. However, it’s unlikely that the 27-year-old would have found himself in the starting line for Detroit’s Oct. 30 season opener.

Cheeks already identified Chauncey Billups as the player most likely to start the season as the team’s shooting guard, Pro Basketball Talk reports. Still, the loss of Stuckey represents a blow to the Detroit’s rotation. To make up for the loss, Cheeks stated that Kyle Singler, who normally plays small forward, will see some time at shooting guard.

“He can play [shooting guard], he can play some [small forward] and he gives us a lot length with those other guys out there,” Cheeks told the Detroit Free Press. “I just know wherever I put him, he’s going to give me what he’s got.”

The Pistons drafted Stuckey in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft. The 27-year-old has averaged 13.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game throughout his six years in the league.