Joe Mazzulla appeared on 98.5′s Zolak and Bertrand show and addressed when Kristaps Porzingis can return to the Boston Celtics after suffering a injury to his soleus, a part of the calf muscle complex.
Mazzulla didn't have a definitive timeline, but he did say that the Latvian big would be re-examined in a week.
“I don’t know the specifics of it, they used a lot of fancy words,” Mazzulla said (h/t MassLive). “But I do know it’ll be kind of a more reevaluated next week. We’ll see how he responds to the treatment and how much better he gets here in the first week. I think that’s kind of the goal is to just get crazy in the next week and see where we’re at from there.”
Joe Mazzulla talks with @ZoandBertrand about the injury to Kristaps Porzingis pic.twitter.com/e3vCfQjzyo
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 1, 2024
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes gave a nearly identical update ahead of the Celtics' Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 5 matchup with the Miami Heat.
"The expectation or hope is he would make a return if the Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference Finals," Haynes prefaced before saying, “The Celtics are very ecstatic and happy that this injury wasn’t any more severe. He will use his time to rest and rehab and then he will be re-evaluated at the six or seven-day mark to see how he is feeling and go from there.”
Boston Celtics turning to Luke Kornet to fill in void left by Kristaps Porzingis injury
In Game 5, it was Luke Kornet who picked up the backup minutes at the 5 after Al Horford slid into the starting lineup. Xavier Tillman wasn't a matchup play for Mazzulla, and may not be in the Eastern Conference Semifinals either, despite him being tabbed a potential rotation fixture in Porzingis's absence.
Kornet was the literal biggest part of the C's "stay-ready" group all season, and now he must live up to that moniker; particularly if the Cleveland Cavaliers are Boston's draw in the second round of the east playoffs.