Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis recently provided a positive injury update on his calf after he was forced to leave Boston’s game against the Orlando Magic on Friday.
Porzingis was lifted from the game after playing just 22:18 for Boston. The Celtics ended up losing badly to the Magic. Porzingis finished the game with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Celtics big man shared on his Instagram that he received “good news” Saturday morning and that he should be back soon for Boston.
This is great news for the Celtics — who are currently the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference — as they don’t have a ton of depth on their roster at this point in the season. Luke Kornet helped Boston get to the finish line against Orlando.
The Celtics do, however, have a great starting group with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Porzingis leading the way. Al Horford has also become a terrific option off the bench for the team after starting 63 games last season for Boston.
Boston acquired Porzingis in a trade that featured the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies this offseason.
The Celtics sent guard Marcus Smart to Memphis as part of the deal — a tough move for the team to make since Smart had played his entire career in Boston.
However, Porzingis has brought a lot to the table for the Celtics, especially on the offensive end.
The former lottery pick is averaging 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc. Porzingis is also averaging 1.7 blocks per game for the Celtics.
Adding another proven scorer like Porzingis has helped take some pressure off of Tatum and Brown on a nightly basis.
While Boston struggled on Friday with Holiday out and Porzingis exiting early, the team is still off to a great start. It seems like the Celtics big man won’t miss much time with his calf injury, which should be a positive sign for the team moving forward.
