The Boston Celtics revealed on Thursday that center Kristaps Porzingis underwent surgery to fix a severe leg injury he sustained during the NBA Finals. Porzingis will require five to six months to recuperate, meaning the defending champs won’t see him back until well into the next season.
In Game 2, Porzingis, 28, sustained a torn medial retinaculum, which resulted in the posterior tibialis tendon being dislocated. The team characterized this injury as “rare” in their press release.
After missing Games 3 and 4, he made a comeback in Game 5, scoring five points in 16 minutes as Boston defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to win the NBA title.
The night of Game 5, he told ESPN, “I don’t care,” adding that it would take a long time for him to get over it. “I’ll make the necessary adjustments. This is the most crucial thing, and it will be well worth it after my injury heals.
This week a year ago, the Boston Celtics acquired Porzingis from the Memphis Grizzlies, trading Marcus Smart and receiving two first-round picks in return. The hope was that this trade would help the team finally overcome adversity and win a record-tying 18th NBA title by diversifying their offensive options.
After settling in nicely with the Celtics, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 51.6% shooting as Boston amassed a league-high 64 victories in the regular season before going 16-3 in the postseason and taking home the title.
He had already missed ten postseason games due to a calf strain he sustained in Game 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat, which kept him out of the NBA Finals until Game 1. This was the injury he sustained in the Finals.
After Game 5, he spoke with ESPN and expressed his worry about maybe injuring himself even more by playing again, but he was adamant on being a part of Boston’s championship run.
Naturally, Porzingis said to ESPN. “I’m confident something could have happened, especially since I recently returned from compensating on the other leg.
“There was undoubtedly an increased risk, but it didn’t bother me. “I want to give it everything I’ve got and fix it later if I need to,” I said to myself.
While Neemias Queta is on a non-guaranteed contract, Boston will be expected to start Al Horford at the start of the upcoming season until Porzingis returns to health. Xavier Tillman and Luke Kornet, the two backup centers for Boston that saw action while Porzingis was out of the lineup during the playoffs, are also unrestricted free agents.
