The Boston Celtics were able to get through the playoffs and into the NBA Finals without their starting center and arguably third best player in Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis injured his right calf during Game 4 of the first round, April 29, against the Miami Heat. He’s been rehabbing ever since, trying to get back on the court to help his team when it matters the most.
With more than a month off while the Celtics battled through two other series without him, Porzingis is finally at a spot in his recovery for him to workout with the team without many limitations.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla said that Porzingis did everything that the team did after practice on Saturday. He said practice would be harder on Sunday, so let’s see how he responds to it.
“He did everything the team did. We’ll go significantly harder tomorrow… today was kind of moderate. He went through everything that the team did.”
Porzingis has ramped up his workouts with every day that passes, trying to do all that he can to prepare his calf and body for a battle in the NBA Finals.
For much of the season, Porzingis has been a safety valve for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the team on both ends of the court. He picks up switches and creates space on the floor, opening up the court for Boston, which is a big reason they traded for him this past offseason.
That said, Tatum praised Porzingis for having a great season and doing what was needed of him to make the Celtics a better team.
“KP essentially did exactly what we needed him to do the entire season. Whether it was punishing switches or space the five-man, being in the corner, sometimes that might be going possessions without touching the ball. Or it may be when they’re switching, we give him the ball five times in a row.”
The Celtics will need Porzingis to be ready for the Finals to go up against his former team in the Dallas Mavericks- a team that shipped him to Washington for not being able to play well alongside Luka Dončić in 2022.
Porzingis has the opportunity to show the Mavericks organization that he’s also a championship caliber player.
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Photo Credit: Matt Stone, Boston Herald
The Celtics Files 