The Boston Celtics won't have center Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup on Opening Night of the 2024-25 NBA season in October.
The team announced Thursday that Porzingis underwent successful surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon.
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The veteran center is expected to return to play in five or six months, which means he could be back sometime in November or December.
This injury occurred in the third quarter of Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals back on June 9. Porzingis missed Games 3 and 4 against the Dallas Mavericks but returned for the championship-clinching Game 5 victory. Porzingis also missed 10 playoff games before the Finals with a right calf strain suffered in Game 4 of the first round.
There's no reason for the Celtics to rush Porzingis back to the lineup. The most important thing for him is to make a full recovery and be as healthy as possible for the playoffs in 2025. If it takes longer for that process to unfold, so be it. The Celtics will still be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference without Porzingis.
