Daniel Theis will wear a mask, making him available to play despite a broken nose
In addition to one of the tougher loses of the season against the Utah Jazz last night, the Boston Celtics were also worried that their depth wold be hurt after Daniel Theis suffered a broken nose. The Celtics are in a brutal stretch with the schedule, and with little time to practice, the Celtics need as many available bodies as possible.
Good news is that despite breaking it just last night, Theis has been cleared to play with a mask, and will be able to do his part to get back to winning.
Theis is not one of the most important players on this team, but they need him to get their defense back on track. He brings great versatility off the bench, and they do not look like they have the defenders to replace his impact right now.
Theis has played a huge role coming off the bench, and him and Semi Ojeleye have been two of the most important defenders on the team. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Celtics know they should be in for a hard fought game, and they need the interior toughness that Theis can provide.
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It is hard to gauge how much he will even be able to play. He is the next player to be using a mask for the Celtics, but if he is already available, there is no reason to believe he should be limited in any way.
Perhaps Theis will need to adjust to wearing the mask, but that is more of a concern on offense. The Celtics need Theis for his defense, and they need their defense to put an end to what is shaping up to be the worst stretch of the season.
It is the second night of a back to back after a game when the Celtics looked like they lacked energy. This is one of those games where the second unit really can play a big role in taking that pressure off the starters. Fortunately, the Grizzlies have been struggling tremendously, and the Celtics do not need to be at their best to win.
There should not be much of a worry that the Celtics will be able to score the points they need. The problems will come if the defense does not get any edge what so ever. Marc Gasol will make it tough on anyone who is defending in the interior, and they need versatility because of his three point shooting.
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Theis broke his nose less than 24 hours ago, but this is still a game that he can have a real impact in.