Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis is will undergo surgery this offseason according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Porzingis suffered a rare foot injury in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals, and only returned to the court in a limited role for Game 5 of the series.
Surgery seemed like a likely outcome for Porzingis after he tore his medial retinaculum in his left foot, which in turn led to a dislocated tendon. Essentially he damaged the tissue that holds in place a series of tendons and ligaments that run through the ankle and down into the foot. And though the Celtics medical staff were able to use tape and braces to allow Porzingis to play in the last game of the finals, further treatment was inevitable. He made a few plays in helping Boston secure an 18th banner, but wasn’t moving as well as he might have otherwise.
Porzingis told Bontemps after Game 5 he expects to miss an extended period of time, and also how he was able to return to the court.
According to Bontemps, it is unclear when Porzingis will have a procedure, but that the big man said he expects to be out “a few months.”
It is unlikely Porzingis is able to suit up for his native Latvia this summer. Latvia is still hoping to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Porzingis spoke about his experience with the injury to reporters after Game 5, adding some context to what is a unique situation.
What was put out, it was the truth,” Porzingis said. “It was something torn. And then my tendon is just out of place. And it, like, pretty much hurts on every step. I would take a walk in Dallas, and my leg would swell up.”
Porzingis managed to play 16 minutes in Game 5 after missing the previous two contests. He logged 5 points and a rebound in that time. He admitted he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to play at all, however.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to play, if I’m going to play’,” Porzingis said. “But my mindset was always, I’m going to try to find a way to manage this.”
“And somehow I got it going for this game,” Porzingis added. “A lot of it was for sure the adrenaline from just playing at the Garden and playing in front of our fans and having that opportunity to close it out. And, man, I got it going.”
Porzingis joined the Celtics by way of trade at the opening of the 2023 NBA offseason. Boston subsequently inked Porzingis to a two-year extension, and the former All-Star’s unique combination of size and shooting was crucial for the team’s success this year.
Porzingis was limited by a series of minor ailments during the ’23-24 campaign. He did appear in 57 contests for Boston, though, his second-most number of games played in the last five years. In the playoffs he was limited by twin injuries, and played in just 7 total games.
At the time of this writing, there is no official timeline for surgery or any official estimates around recovery time for Porzingis.
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