The Boston Celtics paid top dollar to acquire Kristaps Porzingis. Now, injury concerns are already creeping in.
The Boston Celtics underwent significant offseason changes, primarily with their decision to trade Marcus Smart (and stuff) for Kristaps Porzingis (and stuff). On the surface, that's fair value. But when one considers the team context for Boston, it's a bold pivot away from what has made the Celtics a contender in recent years.
Smart was the heart and soul of the Celtics' locker room. He butted heads with Jaylen Brown and others. He openly criticized head coach Joe Mazzulla during the playoffs. But in the end, his fiery attitude and will to win was crucial to keeping the Celtics' myriad personalities connected and invested in the end goal.
Of course, the Celtics never achieved the end goal during Smart's tenure. Last season ended in bitter disappointment with an inexplicable loss to No. 8-seed Miami in the conference finals. It's no surprise that Boston scoured the market for upgrades to the roster and any foundational change was always going to involve Smart. Injury concerns tanked the trade value of Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White was Boston's second-best player in the postseason. It was either trade Smart or run it back, and the Celtics didn't want to run it back.
Boston is now strapped into Kristaps Porzingis for the next three years at roughly $90 million. While there's plenty to celebrate about the Porzingis fit, there is equal or greater risk. The 7-foot-3 Latvian has been plagued with injuries throughout his career. Boston is getting an early taste of the injury concerns Porzingis can never quite shed.
Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis could miss FIBA World Cup with injury
There are "growing concerns" that Porzingis will miss the FIBA World Cup for the Latvian National Team, per Rupert Fabig of Hamburg Abendblatt. It is understood to be related to a foot injury and a joint decision between Porzingis, Latvia, and the Celtics will be made at the last moment.
While it's good news that Porzingis hasn't been ruled out of the World Cup entirely, this has always been the rub with the NBA's original 'Unicorn.' He's a remarkable athlete, 7-foot-3 with elite shooting touch and tremendous movement skills. He can score in various ways, anchor the defense with light feet and a 7-foot-6 wingspan, and he's coming off his best individual season to date. He averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on .498/.385/.851 splits for Washington. He was the Wizards' best player for long stretches of last season.
And yet, he's hurt all the time. That's not Porzingis' fault, but it's an inherent risk with any 7-foot-3 center. Especially one with Porzingis' injury history. Last season was the first time the 28-year-old has played over 60 games since 2016-17, his sophomore season with New York. The Celtics will rely on Porzingis to space the floor and provide a shot-blocking presence on defense, but it's fair to wonder if the Celtics gave up too much for a star with very few complete seasons under his belt.
Porzingis has never really competed in the late stages of playoffs either, so he's entering a whole new competitive stratosphere with Boston. The Celtics are expected to contend for the championship next season and Porzingis will be billed as the third member of a 'Big Three' alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. He's more than capable of living up to that billing, but injury concerns will follow him in perpetuity — starting this summer, unfortunately.
