A calf strain will prevent Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis from playing in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinal.
The Boston Celtics have announced that big man Kristaps Porzingis will not play in the team’s quarterfinal In-Season Tournament matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Due to a calf strain, Porzingis has missed Boston’s last three games.
In the third quarter of the Celtics’ Nov. 24 loss to the Orlando Magic, Porzingis initially left the game and did not come back. Porzingis gave his own update on Instagram following an MRI in Boston.
“This morning, good news,” wrote Porzingis. “Be back very soon.”
Porzingis reported that he did not slip despite feeling a tweak while running. This is significant because there have been worries regarding the lack of traction on the new courts used for those games, and the game on November 24 was an In-Season Tournament match. Jaylen Brown, a forward for the Celtics, injured his groin earlier this season after tripping on the Toronto Raptors’ In-Season Tournament court. He described the floor as “unacceptable.”
In 22 minutes during his most recent game, a 17-point defeat, Porzingis finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Even though it doesn’t seem like a season-ending problem, Porzingis’s injury will cause concern every time he is out. Since 2017, he has only made one appearance in sixty games. During that time, he has sustained numerous serious knee injuries, including torn meniscus and ACL.
Although Porzingis has played in every game this season save one, he missed the FIBA World Cup due to plantar fasciitis during the summer.
One of the main goals for the Celtics, who depend greatly on Porzingis, is to keep him healthy. Their early-season success on both ends of the court can be largely attributed to him because he is one of the few centers who can effectively space the floor and guard the rim. The Celtics have a plus-10.2 net rating when Porzingis is playing.
The Celtics have veteran Al Horford behind him, but they don’t have much depth in the frontcourt after Horford. The only other true center on the team’s roster is Luke Kornet.
