Mickael Pietrus still doesn’t have a return date set, which makes sense due to the fact that he still hasn’t finished his mandatory concussion testing. But Doc Rivers said a return is likely sooner than later. (ESPN Boston)

“Honestly, I haven’t asked [team trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] yet, we haven’t gotten into the return date, but [Pietrus] sounds like sooner than later,” said Rivers. “But that’s from Pietrus, so we have to temper all that. Listen, if we get him at all, it’s a blessing, because it didn’t look like we would, that would be a huge boost for our team.”

I’ve mentioned a few times how I’m nervous about the possibility of Pietrus’ return displacing the Celtics’ chemistry, which has grown dependable in recent weeks. That’s not an indictment of Pietrus, who by all accounts cares about his team’s success above all individual accomplishments. It’s just an observation that the Celtics have been humming lately and added someone back into the rotation might cause a ripple effect.

But Rivers doesn’t hold any of the same concerns.

“[Getting Pietrus back] would be great for us,” said Rivers. “It would give us the ability, if we wanted to, to use that different lineup, if [the opponent has a] bigger 2 or 3, you could use Pietrus, or just stay with Avery. It just makes our bench even better. I like Pietrus on the bench, too, because he can guard the 3 and he can space the floor even more with his shot — it makes us a better basketball team.

“Look, you get your players back healthy, you’re better. So it would be nice.”