While the Boston Celtics are officially slated to play host to the Atlanta Hawks for the first round of the 2023 playoffs, the recently clinched seventh seed’s former forward Danilo Gallinari seems to be making strides toward his return to the hardwood.
In a recently posted video on the club’s official Twitter page, the veteran was seen hoisting up a myriad of shots inside the team’s practice facility.
Danilo Gallinari putting in some work at Celtics practice today
Since tearing his ACL back in the late summer of 2022 while playing for Team Italy, the 34-year-old has shown glimpses into his rehab process on social, with this latest post from the Celtics’ official Twitter page seemingly serving as his most extensive on-court shoot-around to date.
Danilo Gallinari signed a two-year, $13.3 million deal with Boston this past free agency. Since putting pen to paper, however, he has yet to suit up for a single game in 2022-23 as a result of his injury.
Hopefully, this video serves as a sign that he’s as close to returning to the hardwood as he has been throughout his tenure in green and white.
Blazers Could Eye Celtics Trade For Jaylen Brown
On April 10, The Athletic’s Jason Quick penned a piece discussing how Blazers franchise point guard Damian Lillard has publicly expressed his desire to see the club try and build a contender around him this offseason after failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
In his writings, Quick noted that the seven-time All-Star has something of a list of players he has suggested Portland’s GM Joe Cronin should try to pursue, and someone who could be found on said list is Celtics star wing Jaylen Brown.
“Cronin says the Blazers have a “target group” of players they think would be good fits in Portland, the same players he said he failed to land in February at the trade deadline. The Blazers were rumored to be pursuing Toronto forward O.G. Anunoby, and Lillard has long voiced an appreciation of forward Mikal Bridges, who was traded from Phoenix to Brooklyn in February. And some around the league believe Boston forward Jaylen Brown could be open to playing elsewhere,” Quick wrote.
“I’ll say this, Jaylen Brown is a player that Damian Lillard has had on his list.” – @JakeLFischer on a player/team situation to watch this summer.
During a recent spot on Dirt & Sprague on 1080 The FAN, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports indicated that such a list certainly exists and that Brown is someone, in particular, Lillard is interested in teaming up with.
Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Makes Case For All-NBA
While the 2023 NBA All-Star Game MVP in Jayson Tatum looks to be heading toward his third-straight All-NBA nod, it seems as though his Boston Celtics co-star Jaylen Brown has a strong case to make one of the three teams as well.
While he understands that, ultimately, how the voting process commences will be out of his control, in a recent interview with The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, Brown laid out the case for why he believes he’s worthy of consideration.
“I think I’m more than deserving. This is the second-best team in the league. I’ve played nothing but winning basketball, helped lead my team and I’m in the [top] 10 in scoring and I’m efficient. I guess you look at the criteria and I think I more than meet it. We’ve dominated for the most part of the season. I’ve been available. What more do people want,” Jaylen Brown said.
Jaylen Brown (41 PTS, 13 REB) was a FORCE on the floor in the @celtics‘ third-straight win ☘️
Claiming his second All-Star selection with his production in 2022-23, Jaylen Brown finished the year with tremendous per-game averages of 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.1% from the field.
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Viral Danilo Gallinari Video Will Have Celtics Fans Hyped as Playoffs Approach