SUMMARY
- Kristaps Porzingis is suffering from a torn medial retinaculum.
- The 28-year-old injured himself following Game 2 and he could potentially miss Game 3.
After staying away from the floor for 38 days since injuring himself during the first round of the post-season, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the Boston Celtics’ lineup for the NBA Finals. The impact he had on Games 1 and 2 was evident and the Celtics are currently up 2-0. They’ve brought Porzingis off the bench and he’s currently averaging 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.
Unfortunately, the 28-year-old Latvian has injured himself once again, enduring a rare medial retinaculum tear that caused a dislocation of his posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg. “It’s kind of a random situation. I felt something, and now I have to deal with it. As we said, yeah, it’s going to be day-to-day, and I’ll see how I am tomorrow. Obviously, I’m going to do everything I can to be out there tomorrow, and we’ll see,” he said.
Kristaps Porzingis said he will do everything he can to play in Game 3 pic.twitter.com/hWjJ7394fv
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 11, 2024
Porzingis has had many injuries over the years, some even more serious than what he’s going through right now. Earlier in the post-season, he suffered from a calf strain. Regardless of his situation, the Celtics managed to barrel through their opponents.
Joe Mazzulla puts all his trust in the Celtics’ medical staff to help Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis is currently getting himself examined to see what has to be done in order to help him heal quickly. Even though the Celtics coaching staff and Porzingis are determined to appear in Game 3, the decision ultimately falls on the medical staff to clear him for play, says Joe Mazzulla.
“He’s doing anything and everything he can to be ready for the game tomorrow… it’s a serious injury.”
Joe Mazzulla addresses the health status of Kristaps Porzingis pic.twitter.com/TZ1mdCQ9Js
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 11, 2024
“It’s a serious injury. At the end of the day, our tea, and the medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands… [He claims] he’s going to do everything he can to play. We’re going to leave it up to our medical team. That’s really it,” said Mazzulla following the announcement. Porzingis is currently listed as day-to-day but the chances of him returning for Game 3 are very slim.
Kristaps Porzingis needs surgery to ensure full recovery
In such situations, players often get disheartened for not being able to show up for their teams during crucial moments. Obviously, Game 3 is a series clincher that Porzingis will most certainly help to achieve. But with the Celtics, they do not have to worry about losing him. We’ve seen players like Al Horford and Oshae Brissett step up and dominate.
In my opinion there are 3 likely scenarios for Kristaps Porzingis regarding his new left leg injury.
1. Allowing him to play limited minutes
2. Sitting Game 3, outcome of returning depends on results of Game 3
3. Shut him down indefinitelyHe needs surgery regardless of the… pic.twitter.com/QINEoB3clW
— Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) June 11, 2024
A popular doctor on X named Jesse Morse shared his opinion on what needs to be done for Kristaps Porzingis to stay in the clear. According to Morse, the Celtics could either limit his minutes or sit him out in Game 3. And based on Game 3’s outcome, they could either allow him to return or remain out. Another option is to sit him out indefinitely and proceed with surgery immediately. Morse also claims that exerting his current injury could cause a new one or re-injury his calf.