The Boston Celtics took down the Washington Wizards on Sunday night, but they were also dealt a tough blow. Kristaps Porzingis exited the game and was ruled questionable to return at halftime due to right heel pain. He didn’t end up coming back into the contest, and after the game, he provided an update.
“I banged up my heel a little bit in the first quarter early,” Porzingis said, as transcribed by Khari Thompson of Boston.com. “Not early, but in the first quarter at some point. I kept on playing. It’s nothing major, honestly. It’s more like a precautionary thing.”
“And then, like in the second when it started, it was pretty sensitive, so I told the medical staff, and they pulled me out the game. I don’t think it’s anything major.”
Kristaps Porzingis dealt with plantar fasciitis in the same foot his new injury is
Based on what Porzingis had to say, the injury doesn’t sound too concerning. However, for a guy with his type of injury history, any sort of injury should be worrisome to some degree. And on top of that, people are ignoring a very obvious red flag.
In the summer of 2023, just after being traded to Boston, Porzingis had to miss Latvia’s run in the FIBA World Cup while dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
There is no confirmation as to where exactly this issue was taking place in his foot, but common areas for the ailment to pop up are at the bottom of the foot and the heel. That would mean the heel he hurt against Washington is the one that may have been the source of his plantar fasciitis around a year and a half ago.
It’s completely unclear whether or not Porzingis’ plantar fasciitis was in his heel, and his new injury could be completely unrelated, but it’s certainly possible that it’s a similar issue.
When Porzingis was out with plantar fasciitis in 2023, he went through a four-to-six-week recovery program to get back into game shape.
Oftentimes, when a person deals with plantar fasciitis, it goes away after the correct treatment and rehab. But not always. It can come back if it’s not treated properly, which is unlikely in the case of Porzingis, or if the same preexisting factors that led to the issue persist. That latter portion is more likely, as the big man is still putting constant pressure on his feet while playing NBA basketball.
There is no way to know for sure if Porzingis’ new injury has anything to do with the plantar fasciitis he dealt with in the past, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.