The Boston Celtics made a splash when they signed Kemba Walker to replace Kyrie Irving at the point guard position, but they also lost a major frontcourt piece when Al Horford signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Additionally, Boston traded Aron Baynes to the Phoenix Suns on draft night. They signed Enes Kanter to be their starting center, but frontcourt depth was a concern heading into the 2019-20 season.
Indeed, Kanter suffered a knee contusion on Wednesday night against the Sixers, and now Daniel Theis has been ruled out for tonight's game against the New York Knicks:
Celtics rule out Daniel Theis vs New York; will have third different starting center in as many games.
Full injury report from team:
Enes Kanter – Left Knee Contusion – OUT
Romeo Langford – Sore Right Knee – OUT
Daniel Theis – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) October 26, 2019
Robert Williams III is likely to get the nod as the starting center.
Theis emerged as a major piece over the course of the last two seasons, and he saw extended run last season when Baynes missed extended time due to injury. The 27-year-old from Germany averaged 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 66 appearances. He has struggled in the early goings however, shooting 0-for-7 against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
The Celtics were overwhelmed against the Sixers on opening night, though Kanter showed some promise. They bounced back with a solid performance against the Raptors, as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led the team with 25 points apiece.
Given the injuries in the frontcourt, Boston will need Walker to get on track. He scored just 12 points on 4-of-18 shooting on Wednesday, and though he scored 22 points against the Raptors, he was still inefficient.
Williams is an excellent defender and an athletic beast, but he has not played a ton of meaningful minutes with the first unit. Nevertheless, it is invaluable experience as head coach Brad Stevens pieces together the frontcourt puzzle.
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