Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari tore the meniscus in his left knee during Italy’s FIBA World Cup qualifier against Georgia on Saturday, the Italian national team announced Sunday morning.
Plans for surgery and a potential recovery time were not immediately known. Celtics center Robert Williams missed about a month after tearing his meniscus on March 27, but return to play generally depends on the procedure. The Celtics are scheduled to start training camp on Sept. 27, and they will face the 76ers in their regular-season opener Oct. 18.
Gallinari said on Twitter that he will miss the EuroBasket tournament next month. The 34-year-old forward suffered the noncontact injury on a fast break in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter of his team’s 91-84 win in Brescia, Italy, and was helped off the court.
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The Celtics signed Gallinari to a two-year, $13.3 million contract last month to boost their bench scoring, which became an issue during the playoffs. Gallinari averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Hawks last season and is a career 38.2 percent 3-point shooter.
If Gallinari is sidelined at the start of the regular season, fourth-year forward Grant Williams would likely have a larger role as a backup. But the Celtics are likely counting on Gallinari to play only about 20 minutes per game this year.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.