Just shortly before the Boston Celtics were set to play the Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics released an updated injury report that had nothing but good news for the guys in green:
Star point guard Kemba Walker and starting center Daniel Theis have had their statuses upgraded to available, giving Boston their full starting five and a decided advantage over the Kyrie Irving-less Nets.
Walker has averaged 21.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game while shooting just 40.0% from the field but 38.9% from deep and 91.7% from the charity stripe.
His pace and pick-and-roll play have helped lift the Celtics’ offense to new heights while his leadership style has been magnetic, unifying an underrated Boston group whose locker room had shown plenty of cracks last season.
Theis, who emerged as the best candidate to start during the preseason with his awareness and defensive ability, will prevent Celtics head coach Brad Stevens from playing center Enes Kanter — a throwback big man with limited agility — extensively against Nets big men Jarrett Allen and Nic Claxton.
The third-year pro has averaged 6.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this season but shot just 46.5% from the field and 16.7% from three; one of Boston’s many key players to have an underwhelming field goal percentage.
