{"id":77851,"date":"2024-05-18T00:26:06","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T04:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=77851"},"modified":"2024-05-18T00:26:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T04:26:06","slug":"important-kristaps-porzingis-injury-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/18\/important-kristaps-porzingis-injury-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Kristaps Porzingis Injury Update"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/40167492\/celtics-kristaps-porzingis-expected-opening-games-east-finals-optimism-return-series\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN report<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">provided an update on<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzingis<\/a>\u2019 status ahead of the upcoming conference finals.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The report comes with mixed news for Celtics\u2019 fans as Porzingis is likely out for the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">first two games of the series<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, barring any setbacks\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">it\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0believed he<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0will return later in the series.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Porzingis has been <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/30\/key-celtics-star-marked-out-for-game-5\/\" target=\"_self\">out<\/a> since April 29th after he suffered a soleus calf strain in the middle of Game 5 in the first round against the Miami Heat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">From NBA Countdown: Kristaps Porzingis is expected to miss Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Finals, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wojespn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@wojespn<\/a> reports. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7O5ExE3iKU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/7O5ExE3iKU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/malika_andrews\/status\/1791630002263638448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Important Kristaps Porzingis Injury Update<\/h2>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Recovery Timeline and Update \u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Celtics will face the winner of the Knicks-Pacers series<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Which<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0has gone to a Game 7 that\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">will be played Sunday at 3:30<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. However, regardless of who wins the series, the Celtics will play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A few days after the initial\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/02\/potential-return-from-injury-for-kristaps-porzingis-revealed\/\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">injury<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Chris Haynes provided an update stating Porzingis\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is expected<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0to return during the conference finals. While he didn\u2019t explicitly say it, the original Haynes report implied that Porzingis would return for the start of the Eastern Conference finals.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Getting Porzingis back a few games later than\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">originally<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0anticipated isn\u2019t\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0big\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">of a<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0deal in the grand scheme of things.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Crucially, the original Haynes report was the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">clearest<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0timeline we had.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Kristaps Porzingis is expected to make a return if the Celtics make the Eastern Conference Finals. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisBHaynes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ChrisBHaynes<\/a> provides an update from Game 5: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0iGOGABOMo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/0iGOGABOMo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBAonTNT\/status\/1785808568349868111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Notably, the typical recovery timetable for a first-degree calf soleus strain is one to three weeks. However, second-degree calf soleus strains take three to weeks to heal. By missing the first two games of the conference\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">finals<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Porzingis will be just above this three-week threshold. Notably, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> missed just over three weeks with the same injury.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What this shows us is<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0that Porzingis likely suffered between a first and second-degree strain.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0However, he appears to be progressing on a\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">normal<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0timeline. This update also comes with several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.com\/sports\/boston-celtics\/2024\/05\/14\/kristaps-porzingis-injury-update-celtics-cavaliers-game-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports<\/a> that Porzingis has been progressing nicely and actively ramping up his basketball activities. Porzingis has been <a href=\"https:\/\/celticswire.usatoday.com\/2024\/05\/09\/nba-boston-celtics-kp-shoots\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">practicing<\/a> with the team since May 8th. Overall these are very positive signs for Porzingis and the Celtics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Value of Getting Porzingis Back\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Needless to say, Porzingis has proven to be incredibly <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/03\/3-keys-for-the-celtics-to-maintain-success-without-porzingis\/\" target=\"_self\">valuable<\/a> for the Celtics on both ends of the court. Porzingis is an efficient interior scorer and lob threat with high-level floor spacing and shot-blocking abilities. Ultimately, he\u2019s one of the team\u2019s most important players and someone they likely can\u2019t win a title without. In all likelihood, the Celtics don\u2019t need Porzingis to get past the injury-riddled Knicks or the young Pacers. However, they will\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">absolutely<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0need him for a potential finals matchup regardless of who comes out of the West. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">All four of the remaining West teams would be by far and away the\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">biggest<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0challenge the Celtics have faced in the playoffs this year. Porzingis\u2019 services are\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">particularly necessary<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0against the size and length of\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">either<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0the Nuggets or Timberwolves.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As a result, the true importance of getting Porzingis back in the next round is\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">not only<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0to win the series\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">but to make sure<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0he\u2019s fully ready for the finals.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Given Porzingis\u2019 injury history, the Celtics shouldn\u2019t rush him back for Game 3 if he\u2019s not\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">ready<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. However, if Porzingis is in basketball shape\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Celtics must play him so he can build some momentum for a potential finals matchup. ESPN&#8217;s report makes a Game 3 return seem\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">fairly<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0likely. Ultimately, all signs point to Porzingis making a return in the Eastern Conference finals whether that be in Game 3 or later in the series.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent ESPN report\u00a0provided an update on\u00a0Kristaps Porzingis\u2019 status ahead of the upcoming conference finals.\u00a0The report comes with mixed news for Celtics\u2019 fans as Porzingis is likely out for the\u00a0first two games of the series.\u00a0However, barring any setbacks\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0believed he\u00a0will return later in the series.\u00a0Porzingis has been out since April 29th after he suffered a soleus [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":77852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,5],"tags":[138,4745,202],"class_list":["post-77851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-celtics","tag-kristaps-porzingis","tag-nba-injuries","tag-nba-news"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}