There have been no shortage of injuries for the Boston Celtics this season.
And while some, like the ones to Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward, have been national headlines — and deservedly so — Boston also has been impacted by the loss of backup center Daniel Theis.
Theis had been one of the pleasant surprises for the Celtics this season. Signed as a free agent out of Germany, he made the roster and became an essential part of head coach Brad Stevens’ rotation. When starting big man Aron Baynes was off the floor, Theis could be relied upon to open the lane, clean the glass and finish around the rim.
But that all came to a screeching halt down the stretch, when he learned in mid-March that he needed to have season-ending meniscus surgery after sustaining an injury during a game against the Indiana Pacers.
In a self-authored piece in Sporting News, Theis opened up about the night he learned his season was coming to an end.
“The night of the injury was terrible because I did not know how serious the injury was and had to wait for an MRI the following morning. The test then revealed an almost completely horizontal meniscus tear.
“At first, I didn’t know how to react at all. I still wasn’t sure what to say or do when I got to call my wife a little later to tell her the news. I couldn’t really grasp it. But surgery was unavoidable. I spoke to the team doctor, and we decided to do it as soon as possible. But on a day like that, everything just works against you — a blizzard occurred and we had to wait four more days to do the surgery.
“Fortunately, the surgery was successful. The meniscus was sewn completely, and there weren’t any other complications.”
Certainly a tough end to an exciting rookie season in the NBA.
Theis went on to add an update on what he’s been able to do lately, while also noting elsewhere that he has a tremendous support system around him to keep him from falling into a rut mentally.
“Since Week 3,” Theis wrote, “I can lift weights to strengthen my upper body, and since Week 4, I can put 50 percent of my body weight on the knee, which was a major step and great relief for me. I have now reached Week 5 and 75 percent, and there’s also only one crutch remaining. The goal is to get rid of that one next week as well and walk on my own again. Wish me luck!”
While it was a disappointing end to the current campaign for the 26-year-old, the future for him in Boston certainly looks bright.
