The Boston Celtics’ center Kristaps Porzingis is hoping that he will beat the estimates and recover from his ankle surgery earlier than expected.
Porzingis, who had the procedure shortly after the NBA Finals, told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that he is targeting December for his return to action.
“I’m running, I’m on the court, shooting normal…” Porzingis shared with media during a press conference on Tuesday. “I’m doing a lot of stuff honestly. I was already kind of with some live contact, doing some stuff and, yeah, it felt really good afterwards.”
While Porzingis is likely eager to return to action, don’t expect the Celtics to rush him back. They feel good about their frontcourt depth and will likely be able to sustain his absence without suffering major consequences.
Kristaps Porzingis joined the Celtics ahead of the 2023-24 season in a trade with the Washington Wizards. It proved to be a great move for Boston, as the one-time All-Star became a key component of their dominant run that ended with a league-leading 64-18 record. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
Porzingis couldn’t do much to help the Celtics in the postseason, as calf strain and later ankle injury kept him out for most of the team’s run. He ended up playing just seven games while averaging 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds. However, Boston still managed to win the NBA Championship in five games against the Dallas Mavericks.
