Danilo Gallinari knee injury could test Celtics’ depth

The sight of Danilo Gallinari stumbling to the sideline, trainers spraying his knee with one thing and every report rising extra grave on a summer time Saturday raised an all-too-familiar feeling for Celtics followers: the washing away of hopes of a wholesome season. The concern had been Gallinari’s two-year cope with Boston went off the rails earlier than it started.

A Sunday MRI alleviated the worst issues within the moments following his left knee harm taking part in for Workforce Italy within the World Cup qualifiers. Gallinari, 34, tore his left meniscus, and though there are 50 days till Opening Evening and his absence received’t sink the group, it will take successful on the depth construction the Celtics constructed this summer time. For a group that fell to eleventh place within the East shortly after New Yr’s final season, tightened its rotation and scrambled at max depth to stand up the standings final spring, Boston wished to have a extra balanced, versatile rotation in 2022-2023 to get to the playoffs a little bit extra contemporary and rested.

Gallinari allowed the Celtics to alleviate the extraordinary load on Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III within the entrance court docket. Grant Williams can fill that function for the massive males, however the lack of Daniel Theis within the Malcolm Brogdon commerce looms bigger now. Whereas the group is excessive on Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet as huge shooters, Gallinari is an expert scorer almost twenty years into his profession; Hauser and Kornet try to indicate their G-League success can translate to common NBA roles.

Even in a down season final 12 months for Atlanta, Gallinari managed to hit 40% three-point taking pictures in catch-and-shoot alternatives on passes from Trae Younger and he thrived from deep when he was left vast open (45.5%). Gallinari, at 6-10, 233-pounds, additionally had the flexibility to face in entrance of some bigs and will’ve paired with Grant for prolonged stretches whereas the Celtics performed small whereas resting Horford and Williams III.

“As we went by the playoffs and the completely different challenges, you see some collection are higher for some guys than others, however one of many issues that I assumed could be good is that if we gave ourselves extra choices with a ‘small’ lineup,” Brad Stevens mentioned.

“Clearly, we’re not small if you speak about Danilo and Malcolm. They’re huge guys, however they’re very expert and they also’re capable of house the ground and play that means, and it simply provides us extra choices in sure situations, in sure substitution patterns and even typically to start out video games, begin halves if you wish to … it’s nice to have the inexperienced mild to proceed so as to add in any which means we want, however one of many issues I’ll proceed to deal with is including with out taking away.”

There’s potential for Ime Udoka to make the most of Brogdon alongside Marcus Good and Derrick White to assist stagger Tatum and Brown’s taking part in time. These are the type of changes that change the complexion of who the Celtics have been final 12 months.

Boston will inevitably begin the identical 5 gamers it did final 12 months, Udoka mentioned as a lot at Summer season League in referring to his starters. How amicable will he be to small ball? It’ll be mandatory if the Celtics hope to alleviate these starters after a protracted postseason run.

Tatum performed probably the most minutes within the NBA final season combining common season and postseason totals at 3,714 minutes (37 per sport), almost 400 greater than second-place Mikal Bridges. Jaylen Brown completed fifth with 3,140, even whereas taking part in solely 66 video games because of hamstring illnesses. Good logged 3,056 (eighth) and 34-year-old Horford performed 2,820 (18th). That wasn’t a product of constructing the NBA Finals both. Steph Curry, the Finals MVP, completed tenth general with solely Andrew Wiggins ending within the top-10 amongst Warriors.

“Al Horford is anticipated to sit down out most back-to-backs and have his minutes restricted even additional subsequent season, in response to group sources,” The Athletic’s Jared Weiss reported in July.

The tip of the Kevin Durant saga will open the ultimate levels of the NBA offseason again up. Boston has three common season contracts obtainable, with forthcoming coaching camp offers for Bruno Caboclo, Justin Jackson, Denzel Valentine, Noah Vonleh and Brodric Thomas pushing the group inside one spot of its offseason restrict. Relying on Gallinari’s surgical outlook which may vary between weeks and months with a meniscus tear, the group could possibly be pressured to evaluate extra playable choices on the wing. They personal $5.9-million and $6.9-million commerce exceptions, however utilizing both would escalate Boston’s luxurious tax invoice from $44.5 million to over $65 million.

Because the roster stands, contemplating how Udoka managed his rotation final 12 months, Tatum would in all probability play upwards of 40 minutes. One other taking part in time improve for the Williamses may ease Horford nearer to 25-27 minutes per evening. Boston snuck Horford all the way down to 24.7 MPG over 11 video games amidst a string of blowout wins into February, and Udoka highlighted Williams III’s significance coming into subsequent 12 months after their Sport 6 loss. Except the group embraces some three-guard lineups, offsetting Horford minutes will trickle all the way down to Brown and Grant.

Till it turns into clear Udoka will embrace Good, Brogdon and White taking part in collectively, it’s extra doubtless Brogdon will match right into a majority of White’s 27.4 MPG from final season. White may discover himself taking part in nearer to Payton Pritchard’s 14.1 MPG, whereas Pritchard finds himself on the skin. That’s if Udoka leans into a good rotation that prioritizes measurement being on the ground.

“It’s type of who we’ve been with Marcus and down the road. If you go along with Marcus, Jaylen and Jayson on the one, two, three, we’re fairly huge throughout the again court docket,” Udoka mentioned at Summer season League. “Then bringing Derrick alongside, we didn’t lose plenty of what Marcus had, and so Malcolm matches proper into that. (Brogdon) provides to what we love to do defensively: be a much bigger, extra bodily group — not plenty of drop-off there whether or not we go two guards on the market on the similar time. They will all guard 1-through-4 fairly simply … (Gallinari) was a 3 most of his profession, he’s type of slid into that small-ball 4 currently and he can play some stretch 5 for us along with his measurement and power.”

Gallinari’s potential absence, fortuitously for the Celtics, is just like Aaron Nesmith’s lack of ability to seek out minutes on final 12 months’s group. There shouldn’t be a noticeable influence if everybody from final 12 months’s lineup performs to their potential.

Whereas White’s continued presence and any potential enchancment with a full coaching camp provides to the group’s potentialities and depth, yet another harm may place the group in a precarious place. Jackson, Thomas and Mfiondu Kabengele can be found, however unproven.

Taking part in skinny served the Celtics effectively final 12 months. Their beginning lineup turned probably the most dominant in basketball, the cohesion they constructed led to historic outcomes on the defensive aspect of the ball they usually made it by the postseason comparatively wholesome. They hoped to have the ability to handle taking part in time in another way after a scorching begin opening the door to relaxation days and fewer late-season urgency.

The Gallinari harm is an early hit on that entrance that’ll power Boston to lean again into their tendencies from one 12 months in the past, or search a substitute with their TPE’s or free company. Fortuitously for the Celtics, the blow didn’t find yourself being as devastating because it appeared.

“It hurts tremendously. Not a lot the knee, that yesterday gave means in a race that was nonetheless received with character,” Gallinari said on Instagram in Italian. “For that, it should take a while – fortuitously lower than anticipated – to return as earlier than.”