In the year’s first test of trust for the Boston Celtics, they were able to pass with flying colors by retaining Jaylen Brown on a record-setting contract extension. Many wondered if the Celtics, who have had trouble re-signing stars in previous summers, could get a deal done. This time, they got it done under new leadership with President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens.
Now a different kind of trust test has arrived in the form of their new big man Kristaps Porzingis. On Tuesday, Porzingis confirmed preliminary reports from last week that the 7-foot-3-inch Latvian would miss the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines due to a foot injury.
“After several weeks of recovery and a repeat MRI examination, the plantar fasciitis of my foot still prevents me from being on the field in full readiness.” Porzingis wrote on X/twitter.
The injury is not just a disappointment to his home country of Latvia but also a worry for the Celtics brass, who invested a lot to bring Porzingis in. With his checkered injury history, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but that doesn’t make the news less demoralizing. How much of a concern should Porzingis’ injury be? And what, if anything, can the Celtics do while Porzingis is rehabbing?
Porzingis Prior Aliments
Big men with lower body injuries are never a good mixture. Unfortunately for Porzingis, his career has included a cocktail of leg and foot problems. Coming out of the NBA draft, the durability of his frame was questioned, and that criticism seemed fair at the time. Now seven seasons in, the concerns have proven beyond legitimate. In said seasons, Porzingis has missed 172 of a possible 574 games. The injuries have ranged from a torn ACL in 2018 to a torn meniscus in the 2020 playoffs.
Although less severe, the latest injury, plantar fasciitis, has forced Porzingis to shut down his basketball activities until the start of training camp. In addition, the discomfort could linger well into the season. Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of a muscle on the bottom of the foot near the heal. The injury can restrict mobility and be incredibly painful. More concerning is that plantar fasciitis tends to take a long time to heal fully. The Celtics announced that Porzingis would likely be ready for training camp but would officially be out for four to six weeks.
How quickly Porzingis can ramp up will be imperative, as the Celtics can’t afford to go into the season with only Al Horford and Rob Williams in the center rotation. It’s not that those two aren’t capable, but depending on them to carry the burden early in the season could risk fatigue and injuries. After all, Williams has had his own injury issues, and Horford just turned 37 years old.
The Brighter Side For The Celtics
Porzingis not playing in the World Cup does have one advantage for the Celtics; avoiding a more catastrophic injury. They might not admit it publicly, but shutting down Porzingis until the season might be a saving grace. Presumably, Porzingis now gets to be under the watchful eye of the Celtics medical staff. Perhaps more importantly, the Celtics don’t have to face the same situation they did last year with Danilo Gallinari when he was injured during competition.
It’s not a certainty that Porzingis would have gotten a serious injury if he had played in the World Cup. He probably would have performed very well, for all we know. However, risking it after being traded and signing an extension would be a tough pill to swallow for all sides.
Will Porzingis Be Managed This Year?
One thing that everyone should be factoring in now is that Porzingis will likely be on a rest schedule. Much like last season when the Celtics coaching staff constantly maneuvered playing Williams and Horford on opposite days of back-to-backs. They will periodically do the same with Porzingis. This will most often happen when Porzingis is conditioning his body back to form at the start of the year. Those restrictions might lapse after the All-Star break.
This also means that Porzingis will most likely not be featured in the preseason games for the Celtics. While it is possible he sees floor time at some point, that seems like another hiccup the Celtics want to avoid. The balance, of course, is not coddling him. The injury risk is the same anytime a player steps on the court. Although, for the Celtics, identifying the important parts of the season with the less important is where the equation gets tricky.
Ultimately, the Celtics are looking at May and June as the time to click. That starts with the availability of the team’s best players.
