Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis ‘Progressing Well’ From Offseason Surgery

Kristaps Porzingis isn't slated to be available for the Boston Celtics once the reigning champions return to the floor for the start of the 2024-25 season, but the 7-foot-2 center seems to be on the right track this offseason.

"He's in Latvia," Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. "He's starting to do more and more and more. He was in a boot for a while there, but every indication is he's progressing well and he's on the right timeline. But it's going to be a while."

Porzingis initially suffered the ankle injury during the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat, which sidelined him for 38 days of postseason basketball. The 29-year-old made a triumphant return for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 20 points on 13 shot attempts, followed by two brief appearances in Game 2 and Game 5. Immediately after the Celtics captured Banner 18, it was revealed that Porzingis would require offseason ankle surgery -- which occurred in June -- plus a five-to-six-month-long recovery period before a return.

The Celtics held a 3-1 series lead over the Mavericks with no definitive decision regarding Porzingis' status entering the Game 5 series clincher. But after undergoing pregame warmups with Boston's "stay-ready" unit, Porzingis contributed 16 minutes off the bench, uplifted the TD Garden crowd and ended the night with a well-deserved champagne celebratory shower in the locker room -- all of which prompted questions regarding why Boston would play Porzingis, who wasn't at 100%, to begin with. Stevens, however, clarified that Game 5 played no factor in the surgery or recovery timeline.

"He was going to have to have surgery regardless," Stevens said, per Himmelsbach. "He was moving better than he was before Games 3 and 4 and had probably gotten more used to it. And the outcome wasn't going to change whether he played or not after that moment. It was just, really, could he do it? I was pretty impressed that he did. I don't know exactly what he felt like, but I know he wasn't 100 percent. But the toughness to get out there and do it was awesome. But that didn't make it worse, and it wasn't going to."

Porzingis played a huge role in Boston's re-polished offense after signing a two-year, $60 million extension shortly after the Celtics acquired him. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and two assists while shooting a career-best 51.6% from the field. Whenever Porzingis does return, it's likely the Boston faithful will have another roaring welcome back awaiting him at TD Garden.