Celtics' Theis likely done for season with torn meniscus

Boston Celtics center Daniel Theis suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during Sunday's loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Celtics announced Monday.

Sources told Yahoo's Shams Charania that Theis will undergo season-ending surgery. The team stopped short of ruling him out, but said he is "likely" done for the season. The answer will depend on the severity of the tear, and whether Theis opts to have the damaged part of the meniscus repaired (which typically comes with a four-to-six month recovery timeline) or removed (which typically requires four-to-six weeks of recovery). If he chooses the latter, it's conceivable he could still return in time for the playoffs.

Theis suffered the injury when he banged knees with Pacers point guard Cory Joseph while setting a screen late in the fourth quarter.

It's just the latest in a string of Celtics injuries that include knee soreness for Kyrie Irving and a concussion for Jaylen Brown. Obviously, Gordon Hayward also remains sidelined as he recovers from his opening-night ankle and leg fracture, and still isn't expected back this season.

The Celtics have done a pretty remarkable job weathering the attrition of the season so far, and losing Theis won't have nearly the same impact as those other injuries, but it's significant nonetheless. Apart from the fact Boston is running out of healthy bodies, Theis emerged as a solid two-way contributor off the bench in his first NBA season.

The 25-year-old German League import averaged 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks (12.7, 10.5, and 1.8 per 36 minutes) across 63 games. The Celtics were already a bit flimsy behind Al Horford in the frontcourt, and this injury will put added pressure on Aron Baynes and Greg Monroe (the latter of whom has disappointed since being acquired on the buyout market) to fill the gap.