The Celtics will be without one of their key players for an extended period of time, likely including the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.
On Thursday morning, the team’s official account announced that forward/center Kristaps Porzingis “successfully underwent” surgery to repair a “rare” compound injury to his right leg.
Additionally, Boston maintained that Porzingis is “anticipated to return to play within five to six months,” but this timeline could mean the Latvian misses the first month or two of the new season.
Porzingis was injured during Game 2 of the NBA Finals and missed the next two games against the Dallas Mavericks.
In Boston’s deciding Game 5 victory, the 28-year-old scored just five points in 16 minutes off the bench.
Before being sidelined, Porzingis totaled 32 points and 10 rebounds in his first Finals game.
Porzingis has struggled with further foot issues during the postseason, missing the Celtics’ series against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers because of right calf tightness.
Instead of the 7-foot-2 hybrid, Boston turned to Al Horford, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet primarily to bolster its frontcourt.
But with Porzingis sidelined for an extended period of time, the Celtics have had to bolster their combination of size and scoring.
In the first round of the NBA draft on Wednesday night, Boston selected 6-foot-6 Creighton University guard Baylor Scheerman, who averaged 18.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
There are other questions about the ability of the 38-year-old Horford, who has topped 10 points in six of the team’s 19 playoff games.
It remains to be seen how head coach Joe Mazzulla will configure his roster depth alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday, but the Celtics will undoubtedly be without Porzingis when they begin their title defense in October.
