The Boston Celtics have an ace in the hole, and they may not have to wait much longer to play it.
Big man Kristaps Porzingis underwent surgery after the NBA Finals in June to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon, and at the time, the Celtics announced he'd likely return to play in 5-6 months, which would be November or December.
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Well, it's now mid-November, and Porzingis was spotted getting some on-court work in before the Celtics' game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on Wednesday night.
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After the game -- a 139-114 Boston win -- Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg put Porzingis' activities into encouraging context.
"KP is lurking," Forsberg told co-host Kayla Burton on NBC Sports Boston's Celtics PostUp. "I've been saying this: What he's doing in warmups is very similar to what we saw during the playoffs -- maybe even a step beyond that --when he got in good enough shape to get out there against Dallas for a game."
Porzingis suffered his leg injury in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat but ramped up his rehab over the next several weeks and was able to play Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Forsberg sees similarities between Porzingis' rehab work in the playoffs and his on-court work now, which could mean the big man is not too far off from a return.
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"It's easy to forget, as good as the Celtics have been, they're getting back this 7-(foot)-2 guy who makes them completely different," Forsberg added. "So, when I saw him out there tonight, getting loose, smiling as always, dunking it on his way off the court, it's a good sign that, hey, the good things are coming."
The stakes in mid-November obviously are much lower than the NBA Finals, so don't be surprised if the Celtics take a conservative approach to Porzingis' return. The team is 10-3 through 13 games without him this season and went 10-2 in his absence last postseason, so they've found ways to succeed while he's sidelined.
That said, the Celtics are undoubtedly better when Porzingis is on the court, and his return would be very welcome for a team that's had issues on the boards and defending the paint early this season.
"You start thinking about what they've struggled with, the glass and stuff like that, just sometimes when the offense goes cold, like, all those things are going to be alleviated," Forsberg added. "... There's another level that this team will go to, even on nights like this when they look amazing."
Check out the video player above for more from Forsberg and Kayla Burton on Porzingis.
