Last week, Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari suffered a knee injury while representing Italy in a FIBA World Cup Qualifier game against Georgia on Saturday. The Celtics announced Friday that Gallinari tore his left ACL and the timeline for recovery is six-to-12 months.
The Celtics make it official and announce that further evaluation has confirmed a torn left ACL for Danilo Gallinari.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cVpeGP pic.twitter.com/JVWgEPMjXG
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 2, 2022
The Celtics and Gallinari worked together this week on a complete, thorough analysis following the knee injury on Saturday during FIBA play for Italy. The typical ACL recovery time ranges from 6-to-12 months. https://t.co/dg86TQUjoi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2022
Initially, Gallinari’s injury was diagnosed as a torn meniscus, which tends to be a more manageable injury with a briefer recovery period. This updated news obviously changes things. First and foremost, the wish is the 34-year-old Gallinari can make a full recovery as quickly as possible. Nobody deserves to endure this sort of injury and the rehab can be grueling.
Boston signed Gallinari to a two-year, $13.2 million deal last month, so he at least has some financial security. According to the timeline reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, he could return as soon as late February, if he adheres to a six-month rehab. He could also be sidelined for the entire season, if he needs 10 or more months to recover. Gallinari was set to begin his 14th NBA season and was viewed as an important depth piece for Boston, which could really use his shooting and veteran savvy off of the bench. Back in 2013, he missed the entirety of 2013-14 due to a torn ACL in his left knee.