Kristaps Porzingis will miss the chance to represent Lithuania at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after undergoing surgery for a torn retinaculum and a dislocated posterior tibialis tendon.Kristaps Porzingis will miss the chance to represent Lithuania at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after undergoing surgery for a torn retinaculum and a dislocated posterior tibialis tendon. Porzingis suffered the injuries during the NBA playoffs and is expected to miss the start of the 2024-25 season. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed the news in a recent interview. “Kristaps, after his surgery, we don’t know exactly when he’ll be back, but he’ll probably miss at least the beginning of the season,” Stevens said. “So that’s a great opportunity for us to do things differently and find different solutions.” Porzingis plays a crucial role in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation, but the Celtics believe they can get through the opening weeks of the season without him. After winning the championship last season, their goal is to ensure Porzingis is healthy and ready to contribute once he returns. However, the Celtics may need to get creative to get off to a good start without Porzingis. He is one of the team’s most important players, and his absence will be felt.
Kristaps Porzingis will undergo surgery and miss the chance to represent Lithuania at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Porzingis dealt with two separate injuries during the NBA playoffs, suffering a torn retinaculum and a dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in Game 2 of the NBA Finals after previously sitting out most of the postseason with a calf injury .
In a recent interview with The Ringer’s Ryen Rusillo, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens confirmed that Porzingis could miss the start of the 2024-25 season.
“Kristaps, after his surgery, we don’t know exactly when he’ll be back, but he’ll probably miss at least the beginning of the season,” Stevens said. “So that’s a great opportunity for us to do things differently and find different solutions.”
Porzingis is a crucial part of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation, but Boston could get through the opening weeks of a new season just fine without the big man. After all, Mazzulla’s team has gone through multiple rounds of the play-offs en route to ending a 16-year championship drought.
The Celtics’ main goal is to get Porzingis back to 100% before he returns to the court, after which they would like to ensure his health remains healthy throughout the season as they look to defend their championship. Several teams around the NBA are expected to adjust their rosters and improve their rotations in an attempt to dethrone the Celtics.
Celtics fans should expect Porzingis to take some time to get back up to speed as well. He won’t be able to work out over the summer. As such, he’ll need to get back into shape on the fly. Boston doesn’t need Porzingis to be healthy for the season. It would be wise to let him recover and rehab. Once he’s back in the rotation, the Celtics should have the advantage of playing like the unstoppable force we saw last season.
However, Mazzulla’s team may have to get creative if it wants to get off to a good start. Porzingis is one of the team’s most important players.
