Could injured Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari still make a return to the court this season? The veteran swingman has been rehabbing a torn ACL for about six months now and seems hopeful it could happen according to recent reporting from NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, but acknowledges a lot of things would have to break right for it to go down.
“Playoffs, it’s still in my head. So that’s something that I’m looking forward to,” shared the Italian after a Celtics off-day practice. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not, but, (from) a motivation standpoint, it’s always something that motivates me more. But I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not.”
The level of intensity of a basketball game in the NBA is such that players need to ramp up activity to avoid further injury, and playoff basketball is considerably more so.
Celtics Lab 177: On Boston’s looming seeding battle with the Bucks and Jaylen Brown’s future with Dalton Sell https://t.co/D1GZSh7ky1
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) March 23, 2023
“A lot of steps that need to be done before you play an actual game,” explained Gallinari. “And even maybe after all those steps, you are not ready for a playoff game because when you don’t play the whole season and then be ready to play a playoff game.”
“(It) is not easy for anybody, not just body-wise but mentally-wise,” he finished. “But like I said, it might happen. So we’ll see.”
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