Boston Celtics: Danilo Gallinari’s injury worse than originally thought

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 22: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots a jumper against Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat during the third quarter in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round at State Farm Arena on April 22, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 22: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots a jumper against Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat during the third quarter in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round at State Farm Arena on April 22, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, it was reported that new Boston Celtics forward Danillo Gallinari tore his left meniscus while playing for Italy in a FIBA World Cup Qualifying game. He was originally reported to have a timetable to be back playing on the parquet floor by mid-November.

On Friday, the Boston Celtics announced that Gallo’s injury was much worse. Further evaluations showed that the Italian sharpshooter had actually torn his ACL. The Athletic’s Shams Charania added that the typical return timetable for an ACL tear is 6-12 months. Gallinari tore the same ACL back in 2013.

Boston signed Gallinari to a two-year contract worth just over $13 million earlier this summer.

He was primed to come off the Celtics bench and give the team a nice scoring boost. Last season he averaged just under 12 points per game while playing for the Atlanta Hawks. Gallinari knocked down 43% of his shots and 38% of his 3-pointers in the process.

When introduced by the team earlier this summer, the 34-year-old expressed excitement about playing in Boston. He said that he grew up a Celtics fan and that it was a no brainer for him to join the push for Banner 18.

Gallo said that Boston was the place he always dreamed of playing. After his introductory press conference he described the day as a special one for him and big point in his career. He also tweeted a photo of himself holding up his No. 8 jersey at the Auerbach Center in front of the championship banners.

With disappointment swirling, the attention now turns to how the green can fill the void left by his absence.