Brad Stevens: Kristaps Porziņģis 'Very Optimistic' amid Recovery from Rare Leg Injury

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens provided an encouraging update on big man Kristaps Porziņģis, who underwent offseason surgery for a rare leg injury.

Stevens told reporters Tuesday the veteran forward is "very optimistic."

"We're very pleased with where he is and maybe a little surprised," he said.

Stevens declined to offer a timeline for when Porziņģis is expected to be back, though.

Midway through the 2024 NBA Finals, the Celtics announced the 7'2" Latvian suffered "a torn retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon." While he suited up for the series-clinching Game 5, he was clearly less than 100 percent and only played 16 minutes.

News of Porziņģis' surgery came a little over a week after Boston lifted the trophy. Stevens signaled the recovery would potentially carry over into the 2024-25 season, and recent comments from Porziņģis align with that time frame.

"The expectation is sometime in December," he said to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne about when he should make his season debut. "But I'm feeling really good and I'm working towards hopefully playing earlier than that."

Porziņģis' injury is the biggest variable for the Celtics in their repeat bid since they return the bulk of last year's squad. They're far from the end of their championship cycle as well with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both in their respective primes.

Not having Porziņģis for the first few months is less than ideal, and his injury only adds to the longstanding concerns about his durability.

A more positive reading of the situation is that the 29-year-old is on track to come back with plenty of time to work himself back into game shape and get to his best ahead of the postseason.