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Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis suffered a calf injury during their Game 4 win over the Miami Heat. There is no timetable for his return. However, he gave a rather encouraging update on his recovery.
Talking with reporters for the first time since the injury, Porzingis boldly claimed that he hopes his recovery will be quick.
“There’s no specific date obviously. It’s still pretty early,” Porziņģis told reports, per CLNS Media Boston Sports Network’s YouTube Channel. “I think it will be clear once I start doing more stuff. … Not super close yet. But expecting to recover at a historic rate.”
Porzingis also admitted how upset he was when it first happened, but that changed when he found out the extent of the injury.
“You saw my reaction on the court. Then, once we got the diagnosis, I calmed down,” Porziņģis said. “It looks like it’s not as bad as I initially thought. Yeah, it is what it is. Nobody wants to get hurt. But at least it’s like not as bad as it could’ve been.”
When Porzingis first injured himself, he seemed very distraught over it, hanging his jersey over his head.
This was part of the risk of the Celtics acquiring Porzingis. The question will be whether he returns, and if he does, how healthy he will be for the Celtics’ playoff run.
Orthopedic Surgeon Outlines Kristaps Porzingis’ Recovery
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Kharazzi outlined to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss what Porzingis’ recovery time looks like.
“From what I understand, Porziņģis’ injury is a grade 2 and the recovery I would be hoping is somewhere in the two- to three-week mark,” Kharrazi told Weiss in a May 4 story. “A lot of reports said it’s similar to what Giannis Antetokounmpo had and I understand Giannis had a Grade 2.”
Kharazzi delved further into what Porzingis injured, but added why Porzingis recovery should not take too long.
“Calf strains are typically gastroc strains, which is (the muscle) on the outside portion of the leg. Ninety percent of the time when the leg is injured with a calf strain, it’s a gastroc medial head injury,” Kharrazi said. “The soleus muscle is much deeper than the gastroc. But the good news is the soleus is very vascular, it has a good blood supply. With the deeper strains, though it can be a little bit more force causing that injury, the recovery is not extremely protracted. So usually 2-to-3 weeks should be the timeline.”
Porzingis is expected to miss the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Al Horford to Start in Kristaps Porzingis’ Place
After Porzingis injured his calf, the Celtics started Horford in his place in Game 5. Pending any surprises, Horford will be the starter going forward until Porzingis returns.
That would depend on how the Celtics fare for the rest of the postseason. The Celtics have a proven commodity with Horford, as he started at center throughout every single playoff run he’s played in Boston until Porzingis’ arrival.
The Celtics’ next opponent will be either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Orlando Magic. If they advance past them, their next opponent will be the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers.
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