How can the Celtics pivot after Kristaps Porzingis' injury?

Porzingis dealing with 'calf injury', MRI still to come

Author

Zack Hochberg
April 30, 2024

Kristaps Porzingis left game four on Monday with a calf injury. However, early reports say Porzingis likely avoided a serious Achilles injury.

Porzingis looked like he got hurt on a couple of different plays in a very short amount of time, before ultimately subbing out in the second quarter.

This whole sequence is mind-blowing to me. I do NOT understand the decision to leave Porzingis in the game after he first started limping. He has a well-known history with leg injuries and it’s a double-digit game in the first round. Very questionable decision from the coaching staff/team doctors.

So, let’s assume that the Celtics will miss Porzingis for about three weeks or about the start of the Eastern Conference Finals.

That means the Celtics will be without KP for the remainder of the Miami series, and then the entirety of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against either Cleveland or Orlando.

How have the Celtics played without Kristaps Porzingis this year?

Record in games without Porzingis: 21-4

Notable wins: Sixers, Magic, Minnesota

Notable losses: Pacers, Warriors, Clippers, Bucks

Bigs’ stats without Porzingis

Horford: 11.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.4 APG in 30.3 MPG

Kornet: 8.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.7 APG in 20.0 MPG

Queta: 7.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.2 APG in 14.2 MPG

Can the Celtics still win the title with Porzingis missing significant time?

In my opinion, yes. The Celtics have more than enough talent to beat the Heat and then either the Magic or Cavaliers without Porzingis. However, Porzingis is the key to the Celtics ultimately winning an NBA championship. If Porzingis isn’t healthy for the Eastern Conference Finals or the NBA Finals, the Celtics could find themselves in trouble.

Additionally, keeping Al Horford healthy and fresh is super important as the Celtics head down the stretch for this season. If Horford has to play 30-35 minutes per game for the next two weeks, that could have some unintended consequences as we get deeper into the playoffs.

Porzingis in good spirits

After the game, Porzingis tweeted that he “will be good,” hopefully that remains true…