Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis Shares Blunt Feelings About Ankle Injury
The Boston Celtics will open up 2025 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with or without starting center Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis suffered a left ankle sprain during Christmas Day’s loss with the Philadelphia 76ers, leading the 29-year-old to a halftime departure and ongoing three-game absence. It also extends Porzingis’ injury-prone trend that’s followed the ex-All-Star from New York to Dallas to Washington and now to Boston.
“I’m not going to lie,” Porzingis told reporters Thursday, per MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “It’s super annoying, super frustrating to not be able to catch a good rhythm and already, boom, some small thing happens and you’re out for a couple games. Just to be dealing with this. It’s part of the life we choose. My body is obviously very particular, so these things can happen to me.”
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Boston rolled its dice on Porzingis last season, welcoming the 7-footer with a major role on a championship-caliber roster. Porzingis flourished by averaging 20.1 points on a career-best 51.6% shooting from the field with 7.2 rebounds but did miss 25 games. It wasn’t the be-all, end-all, and still isn’t as amid the team’s current 5-5 stretch.
The Celtics sit 24-9 through their first 33 games — a slight dip from last season’s 26-7 start — and trail the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers by five games. Considering the reigning champs are prioritizing health first and foremost, it’s easy to contextualize where Boston stands even while enduring a few uncharacteristic defeats.
Porzingis was a critical part of making the Celtics an unstoppable two-way force. He shot 37.5% from 3-point range on 5.9 attempts, which accounts for Boston’s current 13th-place ranking for 3-point shooting (36.8%) this season.
“I haven’t been at my top shape yet,” Porzingis said, per Terada. “It’s been tough to have this kind of a summer and the surgery and everything. Not to make an excuse, but obviously I haven’t been able to get back into that top shape for playing. These small things derail you a little bit. But the season’s long and we have many, many games ahead of us. I will keep working towards getting into top shape. I believe I will get there.”
Boston has filled Porzingis’s 22 absences thus far by adding Al Horford — who can’t play back-to-backs — and slight role upgrades to Neemias Queta and Luke Kornet. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has kept the team’s second-place position sustainable, but Boston’s vulnerabilities have been costly.
Porzingis was all smiles during media day in September. The first-time champion was fresh off surgery, in the process of returning to basketball activities and optimistic about the season ahead. Still, Porzingis hasn’t managed to detach himself from the struggles of staying healthy through most of an 82-game regular season.
Most importantly, Porzingis mentioned he was feeling “much better than before” and isn’t too far from a return.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have lost three of their last five games.