Kristaps Porzingis injury update should provide relief to Celtics fans – NBC Sports Boston

Kristaps Porzingis limping off the field toward the locker room at Capital One Arena on Sunday was a sight no Boston Celtics fan wanted to see.

But head coach Joe Mazzulla is doing his best to assuage larger concerns about his injured big man.

Mazzulla shared an encouraging update Tuesday about Porzingis, who exited Sunday’s win against the Washington Wizards with “right heel pain.”

“I had a good recovery today. I hit some shots and got better every day,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand. “He feels better than he did the other day at the game.”

Mazzulla then confirmed that Porzingis’ injury was unrelated to the leg ailment that required offseason surgery and forced Porzingis to miss time early in the season.

“Oh no – nothing to do with the past,” Mazzulla added.

Porzingis suffered a rare injury to his left leg in the first round of the 2024 playoffs — officially diagnosed as a torn retina and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon — that ultimately led to surgery after the Celtics won the NBA Finals in June.

However, this latest injury involves Porzingis’ right heel, so it appears there is no connection between the two. Porzingis also didn’t seem worried about his heel injury after Sunday’s game.

“To be honest, it’s nothing big. It’s more of a precautionary measure,” Porzingis told reporters.

“When it started in the second (quarter), it was pretty dicey, so I told the doctors and they just took me out of the game. I don’t think it’s anything big.”

While Porzingis has a long injury history, it sounds like this ailment is minor. The Celtics don’t play again until Thursday – at home against the Chicago Bulls at 7:30 p.m. ET – so it’s possible he won’t have to miss a single game if he continues to improve in the coming days.

Porzingis has averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in seven games since his 2024-25 season debut in late November.