Kristaps Porzingis, the center for the Boston Celtics, is expected to make his season debut on Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN. He is coming back from ankle surgery that he had in late June.
The initial recovery time for his surgery was estimated to be five to six months. Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum injury during the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, a rare injury, which the Celtics won in five games.
Recently, the 29-year-old Porzingis has been taking part in scrimmages with the Celtics and their NBA G League team in Maine. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla praised Porzingis for his recovery and efforts in practice.
He said, “He got through good, and came out OK, so he’s just continuing to wrap it up and is getting better and better.” Mazzulla also mentioned that Porzingis was making progress each day and was working hard to come back as soon as possible.
In recent comments, both Porzingis and Celtics general manager Brad Stevens said the Latvian player’s recovery was going well. Porzingis mentioned in late September, “The expectation is sometime in December, but I’m feeling really good and I’m working towards hopefully playing earlier than that.”
Stevens also expressed optimism about Porzingis’ progress, stating, “As far as how he feels and the progress that he’s made, I’d say we’re very, very pleased with where he is and maybe a little surprised.”
Last season, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.9 blocks in 57 games, all of which he started. Over his career, he has averaged 19.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 459 games (458 starts) with the New York Knicks (2015-18), Dallas Mavericks (2019-22), Washington Wizards (2022-23), and Celtics.
Porzingis was an All-Star in the 2017-18 season with the Knicks, who selected him with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. However, injuries have limited his playing time, as he missed the entire 2018-19 season due to a torn ACL and has played fewer than 60 games in five of the past six seasons.
