The Boston Celtics already stacked lineup may soon receive a major addition.
Through the first four games of the season, the Celtics have yet to lose a game following dominant wins over the New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and Milwaukee Bucks. Entering play Tuesday, Boston leads the NBA in points per game (124.3), three-pointers made (86), and three-point percentage (42.8).
According to Shams Charania, it appears as though the Celtics will soon get another massive boost in their pursuit of back-to-back NBA Championships. While appearing on ESPNs The Pat McAfee Show, the NBA insider revealed that star big man Kristaps Porzingis is aiming to return to Boston in just over a month.
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The Celtics are targeting December, from what Im told, for Kristaps Porzingis and his return, Charania said. And there was video I was seeing last night of him warming up before the game. He has not progressed to contact yet, but he looks really, really good.
Charania speculated that Porzingis might be able to return even earlier than his target date but added that the Celtics are not inclined to rush him back thanks to their strong start. I think if this wasn’t a Celtics team that has the best starting lineup to me in the NBA – they’ve got the number one starting five in the league for sure – if they didn’t have the luxury of being where they’re at now, maybe you’re a little more pressed to bring KP back, he added.
But they have the luxury of having to be patient. They can wait. They don’t necessarily need to rush him back at all. If it ends up taking until January, it takes until January, but right now, they’re targeting December. It could even be earlier, but right now they’re really focused on that month.
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As for what barriers Porzingis still needs to clear before returning to the court, Charania said: He has to progress to contact, and from what I’m told, this is where his return is based on. The Celtics have a program for him.
He just had this, this kind of traumatic leg injury, he continued. Essentially, once his body and those muscle groups are all balanced and he’s hit those thresholds, he will be cleared for return, but the Celtics will be patient. They’ll want to make sure he’s 100% healthy. Until he reaches those metrics he won’t be back, but they’re very optimistic that will be at some point.
During the 2023-24 season, Porzingis appeared in 57 games for the Celtics but struggled to stay healthy down the stretch. The 29-year-old was sidelined for more than a month with a right calf strain he suffered in Bostons first-round series against the Miami Heat, forcing him to miss all of the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals.
Then in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, and subsequently underwent surgery in late June.
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