Boston Celtics big-man Daniel Theis is out indefinitely with a tear in his right plantar fasciitis. He suffered the injury against the Detroit Pistons on October 27. The German missed the remaining 15 games of the 2017-18 season with a torn meniscus.

In his 68 career games, Theis is averaging five points and four rebounds in 15 minutes per game. In his most recent games against Detroit, Theis recorded season highs in minutes (19:19), points (17), rebounds (8) and plus/minus (20).

Others role players will be forced to step up with the 26-year-old out indefinitely.

Although the word “indefinitely” is daunting, Brad Stevens exclaims that “the indefinite timeline sounds worse than the timeline we’ve been given”. He adds that “they think it will be a pretty quick recovery.”

Theis is expected to address the media on Tuesday, October 30.

Impact to Celtics Rotation

Aron Baynes

Teammate Aron Baynes commented on the injury stating:

“It’s unfortunate what happened to Daniel… He was starting to come along. But it’s one of those things, we dealt with a few circumstances like that last season. It’s next man up. I’m doing everything I can every single day to try to get right and be able to contribute to the team again. So as soon as they give me the clearance I’ll be ready.”

Baynes has missed three consecutive games with a hamstring injury. With Theis on the shelf, Baynes will be integral for Boston. Per 36-minutes, he is averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists in his three games this season. “Freight Train” Baynes has a plus/minus of plus 21 in just 45 minutes of play, showing he has a major impact on the court.

Boston will need Baynes to perform while Theis is absent.

Robert Williams

Williams, who has appeared in two of the Celtics six games, will surely see an increase to his minutes due to the Theis injury.

The 21-year-old was selected by Boston with the 27th pick in the 2018 NBA draft. In his two seasons at Texas A&M, Williams averaged 11 points, 9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 26 minutes per game. In 2017-18, Williams lead the SEC in an abundance of categories, including defensive rebounds (206), blocks (78), total rebounds per game (9.2), and box plus/minus (11.9).

Though Williams does not have the shooting prowess of either Theis or Baynes, he will bring the same defensive tenacity. We have not seen much of the rookie, but in eight minutes against Detroit, Williams recorded three blocks, two offensive rebounds, two points and an assist. With Theis out, we can expect more exciting performances like these from Williams in the near future.