Getty Sam Hauser and Al Horford of the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics suffered their first injury of the 2022-23 season before the season has even started. Free agent addition Danilo Gallinari suffered a knee injury that, though not a season-ending ACL tear, was confirmed to be a meniscus tear.
As Shams pointed out, that was the best-case scenario the Celtics could have hoped for, but with Gallinari out for who knows how long, the Celtics now have the task of figuring out how they will fill the void left by him until he makes the debut with the team.
While options like bringing in another free agent like Carmelo Anthony have been brought up, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston believes that Gallinari’s injury could open up minutes for young sharpshooter Sam Hauser.
If Gallinari misses time early in the season, it could open a pathway for second-year forward Sam Hauser to see time after signing with the parent roster this summer. The 6-foot-7 Hauser can offer some of the perimeter shooting lost in Gallinari’s absence, though he needs to prove he can consistently defend at the NBA level and offer something more than just shooting on the offensive side.
Hauser played in 26 games during his rookie year with the Celtics, where he averaged 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 6.1 minutes a game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from three. Hauser came in as an undrafted free agent who didn’t get many chances to show the team what he was made of, but when he did, his potential as a sharpshooter was there.
The Celtics have shown faith in Hauser’s development little by little, as his two-way contract was converted to a standard contract during the 2021-22 season, to which they then signed him to a three-year deal earlier this summer.
Whether Hauser gets the opportunity or not depends on what route Gallinari takes with his recovery.
How Previous Celtics Recovered From Meniscus Tears
Gallinari wasn’t the first Celtic to tear his meniscus in 2022. Robert Williams III did that when the Celtics played the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 27. Forsberg would use Williams as a reference to give possible options for where Gallinari might go with his recovery.
“Imaging should help Gallinari decide his best path forward. Robert Williams tore his meniscus late in the 2021-22 season and elected to undergo a surgical trim, which allowed him to return to playoff action less a month later.”
While Williams returned in time for the postseason, he missed at least one playoff game in multiple series against the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat. If Gallinari went a similar route, he’d likely be ready to go for opening night. There is another option that a former Celtic took when he tore his meniscus.
Former Celtics big man Daniel Theis suffered the same injury late in the 2017-18 season. When he did, he opted for season-ending surgery that ensured that he’d be ready to go by training camp the next season.
Celtics officially announce Daniel Theis had surgery on the lateral meniscus in his left knee and is out for the season. He is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp this fall.
No matter what route Gallinari takes with his recovery, his meniscus tear comes at a bad time for the Celtics, seeing how they planned to rest multiple players throughout the regular season.
Celtics Plan to Load Manage Multiple Rotation Players
On August 15, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reported that the Celtics planned to restrict specifically Al Horford’s and Malcolm Brogdon’s minutes during the 2022-23 season.
“There are several players projected to get significant rest throughout the regular season, particularly with Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon expected to load manage on plenty of back-to-backs,” Weiss said.
Gallinari had his own injury history before joining the Celtics, having played 70 games or more only twice in his 13-year NBA career. Potentially not having him for a portion of the season may force the Celtics to rethink how they will manage Brogdon’s and Horford’s minutes.