Barstool Sports' Dan Greenberg doesn't like the chances of Kristaps Porzingis returning to the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference Finals after hearing Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has the same injury, speak about how far he was from returning to the Milwaukee Bucks during his exit interview.
"Over 21 days and he still wasn't even close to returning," Greenberg prefaced before saying, "At this point I can't imagine Porzingis even plays in the ECF."
Antetokounmpo discussed how his strained left calf injury left him running at just 30-40% full speed.
"I tried my best to come back to help my teammates," Antetokounmpo said (h/t ESPN). "It's kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn't. I did all the tests I had to do, these like protocols you have to follow and have to check the boxes. I wasn't even close at checking the boxes."
Analyst's prognosis for Kristaps Porzingis's return is good news for Boston Celtics fan
Antetokounmpo's return may have been something he pushed for more under different circumstances. We don't know that and we may never know. But if the Celtics need Porzingis in the Eastern Conference Finals, Porzingis's timetable to return, on average, puts him in line for a return right at the start of the postseason's penultimate round.
"KP suffered the same injury that is currently keeping Giannis sidelined," In Street Clothes' Jeff Stotts prefaced before saying, "As I mentioned then, the soleus is a part of the calf muscle complex. The average time lost for strains specified as a soleus injury is ~17 days (6 games)."
What makes this admittedly tricky is Porzingis's somewhat lengthy injury history. He's also seven-foot-three. Antetokounmpo's size could've had a similar effect on the Greek Freak's recovery timetable.
It's all tricky, since rushing Porzingis back too soon could cost him a Finals appearance. It's also a wait-and-see game, since no two injuries are the same.