Kristaps Porziņģis has been one of the brightest stars in the NBA in recent times. At the start of his career, he was frowned upon by many, however, he earned the support of New York Knicks fans eventually. He was viewed as someone who can elevate the Knicks but unfortunately, injuries played a major role in his downfall with the franchise. After missing out on an entire season, he returned to the league. Kristaps signed with the Dallas Mavericks.
However, things weren’t as good as they were while he led the Knicks. The Latvian athlete starred alongside Luka Doncic, another budding talent. Porziņģis was a fairly decent backup option for Doncic but the chemistry just wasn’t great enough between them. Dallas’ General Manager claimed it was best to trade him to improve the team. Kristaps was sent to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
BOSTON CELTICS: Kristaps Porzingis
KP’s value next season will be large on both ends of the courtHe’s coming off of a season where he had the most ppg of his career on his best efficiency
He was also able to stay healthy for the majority of the season (65 GP)
THREAD:📽️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/REesQC4IFc— Carson Bower (@Carson__Bower) August 12, 2023
He averaged some of his best career statistics with the Wizards. Last season, he put up 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on 49.8% shooting from the field. The Wizards shipped him to the Boston Celtics via a three-team trade. Kristaps Porziņģis is currently working on a player option he exercised right before being traded. The Celtics recently offered him a $60 million two-year deal in addition to the $36 million they owe him this season. However, injuries are still a major concern.
Will Kristaps Porziņģis play at the 2023 FIBA World Cup?
The 2023 FIBA World Cup will begin in a couple of days and teams are preparing themselves to snatch the gold. However, Latvia received some terrible news regarding Kristaps Porziņģis. It was recently announced that he has been diagnosed with Plantar Fascitis. At first, the Latvian Team denied that he will miss out on the World Cup. Later, Kristaps made an official announcement on social media.
Kristaps Porziņģis announced that he has plantar fasciitis and will miss the FIBA Basketball World Cup pic.twitter.com/48rPhhGBwu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 15, 2023
He said, “After several weeks of recovery and a repeat MRI examination, the plantar fasciitis of my foot still prevents me from being on the field in full readiness. This joint decision has been made by both the medical staff and coaching staff of the national team, as well as the Celtics team… Such a decision is not easy to make, but I promise that I will be there and support the team as much as I can.”
Latvia has lost their best player on the roster. What’s even worse is that they come from a tight group that include France, Canada, and Lebanon. The Celtics on the other hand are trying to up their chances of winning a title next season. His presence alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will elevate the Celtics on to another level. But there is no timeline of recovery as yet.