Of all the possible outcomes, of all the different iterations we might have seen from this summer, of all the things that could have gone down for the Celtics this August, there were few worse than this. Anything involving Jayson Tatum and the words “Achilles tendon” (or its predecessor, the dread “serious calf strain”) would have been one. Jaylen Brown and “trade demand” was another.
But Kristaps Porzingis and “injury” was near the top of the list, and it was the most dangerous possible outcome because it can be considered the most realistic to come to fruition. Worse than any old injury, Kristaps Porzingis and “foot injury” had to rank as especially unappetizing for Boston.
That’s what we’ve got, though, here in early August. Maybe.
Before Celtics fans wail to the basketball gods about their bum luck—they traded Mahcus Smaht for this guy!—let’s take a moment to consider what we actually know about the situation. The report of a foot injury for Porzingis comes from a German writer, Rupert Fabig, who tweeted this out on Wednesday:
“Exclusive: According to my information there are growing concerns that Latvia star Kristaps #Porzingis might miss the #FIBAWC due to injury. Understood it is something with his foot. Staff, himself and Boston #Celtics will wait until the last moment to make a decision.”
Hmm. Ideally, we would have seen Porzingis cruise through the summer unscathed, but if he had to be injured, this is not so bad. Any injury is not good, but an injury that could—or could not—be severe enough to keep him out of the World Cup this summer is not all that bad. Fabig’s report makes it sound less like Porzingis needed to be MEDIVAC-ed to a discrete location and more like he just has some bothersome bruise.And the Latvian national team did not confirm the report but, rather, that Porzingis is still working with the team. “Both the players’ individual preparation plans and the team’s overall training process are ongoing,” the organizaiton said.
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