Soon after Kristaps Porzingis returned to the Boston Celtics in time for the NBA Finals, it appeared they got some bad news. With Game 3 of the Dallas Mavericks coming up, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported his newest injury.
“Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum, allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon,” Charania wrote.
Porzingis suffered the injury during Game 2, which cast some doubt on his health going forward. He hasn’t been ruled out for the series, but he is questionable for Game 3, per the Celtics.
His injury is apparently unrelated to the calf injury he suffered against the Miami Heat in the first round.
Such an injury is apparently rare for an athlete to suffer. Boston.com’s Tom Westerholm revealed that few people, period, have suffered it.
“They are not kidding when they called Porzingis’ injury rare: A 2006 study said there were just 32 documented cases of a dislocated posterior tibial tendon in all of English literature.”
Doctor Believes Kristaps Porzingis Can Play Anyway
The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn talked to Dr. Daniel Kharrazi, who gave an optimistic outlook on Porzingis’s future. Washburn provided the full details via his X account.
“A lot of times, the ankle and the tendon can be taped to allow play. There are even some braces that they can use that helps protect the tendon. I don’t think it’s something that he’s gonna make worse by just playing, especially if he’s just running up and down the court, and even some lateral movements may be OK.”
He then told Washburn how the Celtics will have to manage Porzingis for the rest of the series.
“This can be a repetitive issue if he has awkward landings or with his foot in certain positions that causes subluxation of the tendon. I don’t think it’s a season-ending injury. It is day-to-day, and they have to reassess him. It’s something they’ll have to treat with either taping or bracing and then reassess to see if it’s stable enough for him to play.”
While the outlook sounds optimistic, Porzingis could be susceptible to more injuries. The Celtics haven’t had to depend on him for most of the playoff run—they’ve only lost two playoff games in 2024. Since his return, they’ve also had Porzingis come off the bench. He has been productive in a limited role, but they can’t afford to lose him, period.
Doctor Believes Kristaps Porzingis Will Need Surgery
Though he believes Porzingis can play on it, Kharrazi said that Porzingis will need surgery during the offseason.
“Kharrazi added that Porzingis will eventually need surgery to repair the injury,” Washburn wrote.
The Celtics are all too familiar with untimely injuries. In 2023, they’d lose Malcolm Brogdon during the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals due to a partially torn tendon in his arm. In 2022, Robert Williams III played hobbled as he returned quickly after tearing his meniscus.
The Celtics are two wins away from winning a title. They have proven so far that losing Porzingis has not been a problem. However, against the Mavericks, not having him could be an issue as they try to wrap up the series.
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