Malcolm Brogdon reportedly playing through partially torn tendon in elbow

BOSTON -- Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was a force off the Boston bench during the regular season, but he has struggled mightily against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. We can now understand why.

According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Brogdon has been playing through a partial tear in a tendon in his right elbow throughout the series. It's the tendon that comes out of his right elbow and leads to Brogdon's forearm, according to Weiss.

Brogdon was dealing with elbow soreness during the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia, but made it worse in Game 1 against Miami while battling for a first-quarter rebound against Kevin Love. Brogdon is going to play through the injury as the Celtics look to keep their season alive with a Game 5 win on Thursday night, and he'll evaluate whether or not to have surgery after the season.

Brogdon had a stellar season off the Boston bench, earning NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors after averaging 14.9 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the floor and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. 

But he has struggled against Miami, averaging just 8.5 points off woeful 35.3/21.4 percent shooting splits. He has hit just three of his 14 shots from 3-point range against the Heat, and just one of his last 11 shots overall over the last two games.

In the 13 games prior to Game 1 against the Heat, Brogdon hit 43.5 percent of his shots (30-for-69) from 3-point range.