The Celtics announced on July 25 that Kristaps Porzingis would undergo surgery to repair the rare leg injury he suffered during the NBA Finals.
Exactly five months later, he’s back.
Porzingis plans to make his season debut Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden, a source told the Boston Herald. Cameron Tabatabaie of Celtics Wire was the first to report the news, which was subsequently reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Celtics officially listed Porzingis as probable. Fellow big men Al Horford (illness) and Luke Kornet (hamstring) both are doubtful to play against the Clippers.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said at the start of training camp that the team was “very, very pleased” with the progress Porzingis had made in his rehab, and that trajectory continued into the season, with the 7-foot-2 center recently drawing positive reviews from head coach Joe Mazzulla and his Boston teammates.
“He’s been on the court,” Mazzulla said before Sunday night’s 107-105 win over Minnesota. “He’s been working hard to get back. He’s doing a great job of doing that, and we look forward to having him back.”
Porzingis reached what the team called the “next phase of his recovery” last week, which included participating in one practice with Boston’s G League team. Still, his pre-Thanksgiving debut comes as a surprise, as reports suggested he was unlikely to return until December at the earliest.
Getting Porzingis back will provide a massive boost to a Celtics team that was off to a 14-3 start without him. Boston entered the week ranked second in the Eastern Conference behind the 17-1 Cleveland Cavaliers but has struggled in a few key areas, most notably rim protection.
Porzingis’ unique blend of shot-blocking and 3-point shooting ability should help the Celtics shore up that weakness while giving them yet another offensive threat. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in his first season with Boston, with a career-best 64.7% true shooting percentage.
“Even just doing little drills here with him … he just makes the game so much easier with his length, being able to protect the rim,” guard Jrue Holiday said after a practice earlier this month. “And then, obviously, offensively he just makes the game so much easier for everybody. Creating space for driving lanes or 3-point shots. Not being able to switch off of him or when he gets a switch, him being able to take advantage of that. Can’t wait for him to come back.”
Other teammates expressed excitement for Porzingis’ impending return after he traveled with the team to a road win over Brooklyn on Nov. 13.
“He was very verbal,” Jaylen Brown said after that game. “He was in his coaching bag, giving guys what he was seeing out there. So that’s a good sign. That’s a good signal that he’s getting close, he’s getting ready. But his mind, his spirit is out there with us, and we can’t wait to welcome him back.”
“We love KP,” Payton Pritchard added. “We can’t wait for him to get back. He’s an unbelievable player, but an unbelievable teammate and a great person in the locker room, and his positivity is contagious.”
The Celtics fanbase feels similarly about Porzingis, who became a cult hero during last season’s championship run. He’s sure to receive an overwhelmingly positive reaction when he returns to the court Monday night.
How much he’ll play against the Clippers remains to be seen, as Mazzulla likely will want to avoid overburdening him after such a long layoff. If Horford and Kornet both sit, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta would be Boston’s frontcourt options behind Porzingis.
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