The 2024 NBA Postseason was a rough one for Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis. In the first round against the Miami Heat, he suffered a calf injury that sidelined him for about five weeks.
He was able to return in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks but suffered yet another injury. This time, it was a rare injury to his ankle that caused him to miss Games 3 and 4. He got on the court for limited action in the title-clinching Game 5.
Alas, the latest update on his status moving forward is a brutal blow to the Boston Celtics. According to Tim Bontempts of ESPN, Kristaps Porzingis underwent surgery on his ankle that will keep him sidelined for 5-to-6 months.
That means, at the very least, we won’t see Kristaps Porzingis on the court until after Thanksgiving. Given his propensity to suffer injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising if we didn’t see him on the court until 2025.
“I don’t care,” Porzingis told ESPN the night of Game 5, after saying it would take a long time for him to recover from. “I will fix it. This is the most important, and after my injury healing, and all that, it’s totally worth it.”
Kristaps Porzingis proved to be a valuable addition for the Boston Celtics. With him and Jrue Holiday joining the team via trades last offseason, they became the most dominant team in the NBA.
Rarely challenged throughout the regular season, Boston didn’t face much resistance in the postseason either. They steamrolled through the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Mavericks.
Jimmy Butler, Jaimie Jaquez Jr., Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton and Benedict Mathurin all missed games in the postseason against the Celtics. All of those players are important to their respective teams, but Boston was playing at such a high level it is hard to imagine they would have lost any seven-game series.
In his first season in Beantown, Kristaps Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He is an elite third option for the team to rely on behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and an intimidating presence defensively.
They will patiently wait for his return to the lineup next season. The Boston Celtics know having him healthy in April against an improving Eastern Conference is more important than rushing him into games in November or December.
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