Kristaps Porzingis’ Foot Injury is a Problem Despite Celtics’ Optimism
By Tyler Maher
The Celtics’ trade for Kristaps Porzingis is already off to a bad start.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Porzingis had been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Boston is optimistic that he’ll be able to recover from the injury in time for the start of training camp in early October.
#NEBHInjuryReport Kristaps Porzingis has been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He will engage in a four-to-six-week rehab program, and is expected to be cleared for the start of training camp.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 16, 2023
Kristaps Porzingis Injury Update
While early reports about Porzingis’ status are optimistic, this is definitely not good news for Boston’s new big man.
For starters, Porzingis doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to health. He’s never played a full season, maxing out at 72 games as a rookie in 2015-16. He missed the entire 2018-19 campaign with an ACL injury and is frequently absent for large periods of time. In his eight seasons so far (including the missed year), he’s averaged only 50.3 games per year.
It should be said that injuries are typically common for NBA big men, as they’re already naturally prone to injuries due to their large bodies. Throw in the physically punishing nature of their work down low, and most big men have second homes on the injured list.
Furthermore, plantar fasciitis is a tricky injury that tends to linger for athletes because of all the running they do. As a source of heel pain, it requires rest to fully heal and often needs to be treated over the course of a season, as it usually pops back up. It can be hard to fully recover from, so when Porzingis does return the Celtics will likely need to limit his minutes and give him frequent rest days throughout the year to keep it at bay.
This is not what Celtics fans want to hear before Porzingis has even played a game for them, especially after trading away the durable Marcus Smart to acquire him earlier this summer. Boston already has a fragile, injury-prone center in Robert Williams III, so having another one only compounds that problem.
Time will tell if Porzingis’ rehab goes as scheduled, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him suffer a setback and ultimately not be ready for the start of the season, which is a little over two months away at this point.
Fortunately for the Celtics, they still have more than enough talent to survive an extended absence from Porzingis. The news also doesn’t seem to be a detriment to their championship chances, as they currently have the second-best NBA Finals odds (+500) at DraftKings Sportsbook.
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