The reigning NBA champions will be without one of their stars for the beginning of the 2024-25 season.
Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a torn medial retinaculum in his left leg during the 2024 NBA Finals, underwent surgery and will miss the next 5-to-6 months, per the Celtics. With that timeline, Porzingis would likely return around December, which means he'll miss the first couple months of the upcoming season.
More news: Celtics Ownership Makes Massive Announcement About Future of Team
Porzingis, 28, was acquired by the Celtics last offseason in a three-team trade with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards. The Celtics received Porzingis and two first-round picks, the Grizzlies received Marcus Smart, and the Wizards received Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and a second-round pick.
Porzingis made an instant impact in Boston, appearing in 57 games and averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from deep, and 85.8 percent from the free throw line. He then suffered a calf injury, and missed the next 10 games of the postseason leading up to the Finals.
Porzingis emphatically returned for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, scoring 20 points with six rebounds and three blocks in 20 minutes of action off the bench. However, he then suffered an injury in Game 2, and missed Games 3 and 4 (although he was active for Game 4). He returned in Game 5, where he scored five points in 18 minutes of action.
Porzingis was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in his first season, and then made the All-Star team in his third season. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the 2019 season and then was sent to Washington during the 2021-22 season. Now, he's in Boston, where he helped them win the NBA Finals. Porzingis has averaged 19.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game across 459 games in his career.
The Celtics enter the 2024-25 season as favorites to repeat, and spent the offseason retaining their core. Jayson Tatum signed the richest contract in NBA history to remain with Boston for the next five seasons. The Celtics also re-signed Derrick White to a four-year deal that will keep him in Boston for the foreseeable future.
Finally, the Celtics selected Creighton guard Baylor Scheierman with the No. 30 pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
More news: 2024 NBA Draft: Winners, Losers, Biggest Surprises of First Round
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Noah Camras graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and minor in Sports Media Studies. He's worked ... Read more
