According to Cameron Tabatabaie of Celtics Wire and confirmed by Shams Charania of ESPN, Kristaps Porzingis will make his season debut against the LA Clippers tonight. The Latvian big man hasn’t appeared in a game yet this season, as he was recovering from offseason foot surgery.
In the first round of last year’s playoffs, Porzingis went down with a calf strain and was out until the NBA Finals. But shortly after his return, Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum, allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg. He played in Game 5 to help the Celtics secure the NBA Championship but had to have surgery in the summer to fix the issue.
Porzingis has been ramping up his recovery process in recent weeks.
Kristaps Porzingis back from injury vs. Clippers
Just a week ago, Celtics PR revealed that “Porzingis has reached the next phase in his recovery. As part of his rehab plan, Porzingis and Celtics forward Xavier Tillman will be assigned to practice with the Maine Celtics at the Auerbach Center this afternoon. Following this practice, they will be recalled to the Boston Celtics, where Porzingis will continue to ramp up his workload.”
Porzingis and Tillman practicing with Maine was evidently a great sign for the star’s imminent recovery, and after the event, Tillman noted that Porzingis looked good.
Having Porzingis back in the lineup will be a huge boost for Boston, who is already 14-3 on the season (a better start to the year than they had last year, a season that ended in a title).
The Latvian center will give the Celtics another option on the offensive end, as his post moves help Boston’s offense switch it up every once in a while. The three-point-heavy team gets a bit of a curveball into the mix.
But perhaps the most important part of Porzingis’ return to the court will be the impact he makes on the defensive end of the court.
The Celtics have been a bit shaky on the defensive end this year, especially when it comes to giving up points in the paint. Having Porzingis on the back line to help protect the rim will help with that.
For as great as he was on the offensive end last year, Porzingis was also essential to Boston’s defensive success. As great as Neemias Queta has been this year, he doesn’t compare to the defensive prowess Porzingis brings to the table.
Boston will almost assuredly take it easy with Porzingis, but the big man is officially back.