Celtics Porziņģis Injury Update: Second Season Starts In Recovery Mode

Porziņģis Injury Update Addressed by Brad Stevens

According to a recent Celtics injury update concerning Kristaps Porziņģis, it would seem that the Celtics might find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Or will they?

What would have been his second season in Boston following a generally productive and impactful first year, Porziņģis instead will miss significant time. According to Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, Porziņģis’s rehab following an offseason injury is progressing well, as Stevens told the Boston Globe. This is good news for Porziņģis’s health and physical state. However, it doesn’t remove the fact that the former all-star will not be available until after the new year.

How Does Kristaps Injury Affect the Celtics?

On the one hand, the Celtics without Porzingis are still among the best, if not the best, teams in the league. The Celtics should have enough to get by without Porziņģis in the fold for the first half of the season. Their starting lineup alone is the league’s best. Even at his age, Al Horford can still be a starter and a great shooter without losing too much production. His timely threes are a trademark of his. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Horford are an exceptional starting five. Plus, the Celtic’s depth is good in its own right. Will Boston reach 64 wins again? Not likely. But even without Porziņģis, they have everything they need to hold the East’s top seed throughout the season.

On the other hand, adding Porziņģis last season was a significant contributor to Boston’s 64-18 regular season record. Even though the 7-foot-2 power forward missed some time in the playoffs, he still had some big games and left his impact on an eventual NBA Finals Championship. It’s plausible to say that the Celtics’ record wouldn’t have been achievable sans Porziņģis— a fair argument. Of course, there is the hypothetical scenario where Horford’s play and production fall entirely off the cliff in his eighteenth season. That is where the absence of Porziņģis could hurt the Celtics. In that case, they just need to hang on until Porziņģis returns for the season’s final stretch.

Kristaps Returning

Suppose the Celtics can have a healthy and rehabilitated Porziņģis by the time the playoffs open up. In that case, Boston should be in a good place to contend for a second consecutive championship. Plus, there will be some time for the Celtics to ease the big man back into the fold before the playoffs begin. In this event, his second season with Boston wouldn’t be a complete wash. However, the question of whether the Celtics can repeat without Porziņģis is something to muse over. They have been in contention the last few years, reaching the 2022 NBA Finals. Yet, they didn’t it all until they acquired the Latvian all-star.

As the old adage goes, time will tell. In the meantime, Boston seems content with the Porziņģis injury update and rehab timeline. The Celtics will begin a new campaign regardless, with eyes set on another ring.