The other shoe dropped for Porzingis. The Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis will be forced to sit out 5-6 months after having left ankle surgery.
The team said Thursday that Porzingis had successful surgery to repair a significant tear in the tissue that fuses the ankle tendons in place. The recovery time from the surgery will prevent the Latvian from competing with his home nation next month as it attempts to win one of the final four qualifying spots for the Paris Olympics. Also, the Celtics asserted that Porzingis “is expected to return to play in 5-6 months,” a timeline that could mean the Latvian misses the first month or two of the regular-season.
Porzingis 28 years old and 7-foot-2, injured his ankle in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks and missed the next two games. It was later revealed and diagnosed as a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon, an injury the team described as “rare” in its news release.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe returned for Game 5, contributing only five points and one rebound in 16 minutes, but his energy was priceless, getting a standing ovation from the crowd, as the Celtics blew out Dallas 106-88 to capture their record 18th NBA championship, surpassing the Los Angeles Lakers.
Porzingis was just what the doctor ordered this season for the Celtics giving them a big that could stretch the floor, averaging 20 points and seven rebounds in 57 games for the Celtics.
Porzingis was hampered by additional leg issues during the postseason, being held out of the Celtics’ series against both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers due to a right calf strain.
In place of the hybrid player, Boston primarily turned to the 17-year veteran out of the University of Florida, Al Horford, also Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet to solidify its frontcourt. There are other glaring questions and concerns about the 38-year-old Horford’s abilities, with the veteran eclipsing the 10-point mark in only six of the team’s 19 playoff contests.
However, not having Porzingis available for a more extended period has encouraged the Celtics to reinforce its combination of size and scoring.
Prior to being sidelined, Porzingis showed off his talents on the biggest stage in the sport, having poured in a combined 32 points and 10 rebounds during his first taste of Finals action.
He signed a $60 million, two-year extension with Boston after they acquired him in a trade with Washington Wizards last summer.
During the first round of Wednesday night’s NBA Draft, Boston selected 6-foot-6 Creighton guard Baylor Scheierman, who averaged 18.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
How head coach Joe Mazzulla stagers his depth alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday remains to be seen, but the Celtics will certainly miss Porzingis as they begin their title defense in late October.
