Analysis: Daniel Theis out indefinitely with tear in plantar fascia

Tough luck has hit Daniel Theis on the injury front yet again just weeks after returning to 5-on-5 action following knee surgery. The backup center suffered a small tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot during Boston's win over the Pistons on Saturday night. The injury was announced by the team on Monday, with an indication that there is no specific timetable on the big man's return for now.

While any tear in a foot sounds like a daunting injury, Brad Stevens remained somewhat optimistic about the prognosis for Theis at Monday's practice.

“The indefinite timeline sounds worse than the timeline we’ve been given,” said Stevens. "I think it’s not going to be season-derailing or anything like that. Hopefully, we’ll see how he progresses over the next few weeks. Then the next steps will be determined. But they think it will be pretty quick recovery, which is fortunate.”

The timing is brutal for Theis coming on the heels of a breakout performance on Saturday against the Pistons in which he posted a season-high 17 points and 8 rebounds. He looked to be rounding into form this past week after a long recovery for a torn meniscus suffered last spring. That progress will be sidetracked for the time being as the C's big man depth chart gets a little thinner. 

BSJ Analysis: With Theis out of the picture, there could be a window of opportunity for some younger bigs on the roster. Aron Baynes (hamstring strain) is already set to return to the lineup on Tuesday after a three-game absence. He'll continue to take the bulk of the minutes at center.

"It’s unfortunate what happened to Daniel,” said Aron Baynes. "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.”

Opportunity also will be knocking for Robert Williams in the middle after another strong defensive showing on Saturday night in Detroit during a brief fourth-quarter stint (two blocks). He's the only remaining true center on the roster besides Baynes and any foul trouble to Al Horford or Baynes could force him into some spot duty. The C's are also likely to keep Marcus Morris at the power forward spot even more with another rotation big out of the mix.

Theis has averaged six points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.2 minutes in the first five games this season before suffering the injury. He is in the midst of a contract year (restricted free agent to be), so this setback will likely hurt his chance of earning a significant deal on the open market next summer with so many injury questions surrounding him. Still, in the long run, that may be good news for the Celtics, since they will have limited means to retain him in the face of a payroll that's set to skyrocket. When Theis is right, he's got the potential to be a starting center in the NBA with his mix of mobility and rebounding abilities. The goal now for the Celtics is making sure he's able to help the team when they need him the most this spring. Due to that and a deep depth chart up front, look for a cautious approach with his recovery in the coming months.