As the Boston Celtics won their fifth straight game on Monday night against the Utah Jazz to improve to 47-18 for the season, they had to do so without their star center, Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian big man, who missed his sixth consecutive game for the Celtics, shared an update about his status on his social media account.
Porzingis revealed that he has been dealing with an illness that the team hasn't been able to "fully identify" yet.
"I have been dealing with some viral illness that we haven't been able to fully identify yet. I am recovering and getting better. But still working my way back to full strength to help this team. Thanks for support and I'm hoping for a healthy return soon."Kristaps Porzingis
This is a surprising and concerning development. The Celtics hadn't shared much about Porzingis' health previously except for head coach Joe Mazzulla saying he was "getting close" to returning. The fact that Porzingis hasn't been able to play since February 26 certainly increases the concern level among Celtics fans.
The No. 1 priority for Porzingis is to get healthy. The 29-year-old is already in the midst of a star-crossed season after undergoing a rare retinaculum surgery in the offseason. He ended up missing the first 17 games of the season before making his return in late November. Since then, the Celtics have been slowly integrating him into the lineup, keeping him out in back-to-backs and trying to limit his minutes to 30 a game.
When he has been available, Porzingis has been his usual self, averaging 18.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on over 40% shooting from three. However, he was only able to suit up in 32 games for Boston this season.
The Celtics will need Porzingis healthy and playing well in the postseason to come out of a stronger Eastern Conference this time around. Let's hope that the former All-Star center is back on the court soon.