Kristaps Porzingis

Atlantic Notes: Sixers’ Struggles, Embiid, Drummond, Porzingis, Tillman

The Sixers hold the NBA’s second-worst record at 2-10, only one game ahead of the Raptors for last place in the league. They rank last in the league in scoring, rebounding, assists and shooting. Amid the early season struggles, they’ve had some bright spots like rookie Jared McCain‘s strong play and Guerschon Yabusele‘s return to the league.

This version of the Sixers wasn’t built on silver linings. They were built to contend this offseason when they cleared their books in order to sign wing Paul George, re-sign guard Tyrese Maxey, and add several role players like Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond. Still, it’s impossible to overlook the difficult hand they’ve been dealt with injuries. Each of their three stars – Joel Embiid, Maxey and George – has dealt with a multi-week injury and the trio has yet to suit up in the same game this season.

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer ponders whether the injuries are truly the only thing to blame for Philadelphia’s start or if there’s more going on.

We’ve really got to get serious about the execution side of the offense, right?” coach Nick Nurse said. “… It’s not easy with a whole bunch of new guys and guys coming in and out, obviously. But that’s what we are. So we got to get to work on it for sure.

There are areas for concern even at full health, Pompey opines. Maxey needs to regain his shooting touch from last year, as he’s only made 28.6% of his three-point attempts. George’s averages are also down from last season — he has scored 16.5 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field (down from 22.6 PPG on 47.1% shooting last year). Embiid is also averaging 16.5 PPG on 26.9% shooting in two games. For my money, these are all small sample sizes and the raw numbers seem likely to balance out when the trio plays more together. Still, it’s a trend worth monitoring.

Pompey also adds that late-game struggles are an issue that needs fixing. After taking an eight-point lead on Friday against Orlando, the 76ers surrendered a 16-0 run and ended up losing.

It seems like it’s every game,” Embiid said. “We have a very good 30 minutes. … [then fall apart] … especially, because we’re not at full strength and [I’m] not myself yet. So it feels like you don’t have a lot of margin for error.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Things likely won’t get any easier for the Sixers on Monday against the Heat. Embiid is listed as doubtful for the tilt in Miami due to an illness, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). If he’s ruled out, it would mark Embiid’s 11th game missed due to injury, illness, or suspension this fall.
  • Drummond only logged four first-half minutes on Friday against Orlando after missing last Wednesday’s loss to Cleveland while dealing with an illness. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the Sixers‘ backup center looked “a lot bouncier and fresher” in Sunday’s practice, per Nurse. Yabusele logged backup center minutes against Orlando. Rookie second-round pick Adem Bona was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats on Sunday but was quickly recalled on Monday, per PHLY Sports’ Derek Bodner (Twitter link) signaling Philadelphia’s lack of healthy frontcourt options.
  • Celtics center/forward Kristaps Porzingis has reached the next phase of his recovery process, per a release from the team. As part of his rehab process, he and Xavier Tillman were assigned to the G League’s Maine Celtics for a practice on Monday afternoon. After this practice, the pair will be recalled to Boston where Porzingis will continue to ramp up his workload. No further updates on a timeline are available. Porzingis hasn’t yet made his 2024 debut after undergoing offseason leg surgery. Tillman isn’t injured but was a DNP-CD in Boston’s last game and is averaging 1.5 points on 26.1% shooting this season.
  • The Knicks are undefeated this season when Karl-Anthony Towns has at least four assists, and Ian Begley of SNY writes that the team believes his passing has reached a new level. “He’s always been unselfish. He’s always been a team-first guy. But now I think he really sees things,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He understands what the defense is trying to do. He knows if there is overhelp. He’s seeing the whole floor now. Initially, like most young guys, the vision was more narrow. It may have been on one guy. But now he sees more than one guy. He sees the defense, he knows where everyone is. (He knows) if there’s overhelp, I can fake here and throw there. That goes a long way.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Holiday, Mazzulla, Scheierman

Kristaps Porzingis continues to make progress after offseason surgery on his left leg and there’s hope that he might be able to return soon, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Porzingis underwent a procedure for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in late June after the NBA Finals ended and was projected to miss five-to-six months. He appears to be right on schedule, as coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis has started doing some full-court one-on-five work with assistant coaches.

“I’m looking forward to him coming back,” said Jrue Holiday, who did some defensive work with Porzingis during Friday’s practice. “Even just doing little drills here with him today, he just makes the game so much easier with his length, being able to protect the rim. And then, obviously, offensively he just makes the game so much easier for everybody. Creating space for driving lanes or 3-point shots. Not being able to switch off of him, or when he gets a switch him being able to take advantage of that. Can’t wait for him to come back.”

Himmelsbach notes that Porzingis has tried to stay close to his teammates while he’s out of action. He has been accompanying the team on road trips and can frequently be heard shouting advice from the bench during games.

“I think that’s important, especially for a guy that’s not playing, to be as engaged as he is,” Mazzulla said. “It makes it easier for when he starts to come back and we’ll just plug him right in, because he’s been here the whole time. That’s a commitment. That’s hard to sit there day in and day out and do that. So I appreciate that he does that. I think it brings a level of professionalism and togetherness to our locker room, and it’s been fun to watch.”

There’s more from Boston:

  • The Celtics are coming off their first two-day break since the season began, so they were able to have their first practice session on Friday since the end of training camp, Himmelsbach adds. “I think we’re all professionals here,” Holiday said. “I think that watching film, either individually or as a team, does what it needs to do. But I do think having days where we can get on the court and actually run through it and kind of go through it in motion is obviously better. But I think we make it work.”
  • Holiday, who’s dealing with left knee tendinopathy, has been declared out for tonight’s game, the Celtics announced (via Twitter).
  • Rookie guard Baylor Scheierman is averaging 28.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in his first two games with the Maine Celtics, but Mazzulla views the G League experience as more than just putting up numbers, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “Getting on the G League schedule, having to perform every single night, having to compete every single night, just getting those like last night again and that could be really hard,” Mazzulla said. “So, just good to see him do that and then obviously just continue to execute the things on both ends of the floor that are important for the Celtics.”

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Tillman, Kornet, Tatum, Brown, Horford

After undergoing surgery in June to address a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out for the start of the 2024/25 season, with an expectation that he’d be sidelined for at least five or six months. On Tuesday at the team’s media day, he offered an update on his recovery progress, telling reporters – including ESPN’s Tim Bontemps – that he’s “doing pretty good” and has increased his basketball activities ahead of training camp.

“Walking obviously with (no limp),” Porzingis said when asked about what he’s been able to do. “I’m running, I’m on the court, shooting normal. … I’m doing a lot of stuff honestly. I was already kind of with some live contact, doing some stuff and, yeah, it felt really good afterwards.”

Although Porzingis didn’t offer a specific target date or return timeline during his media day session, he recently told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that he’s aiming to make it back in December if his recovery continues to progress as planned. According to Shelburne, the Celtics are constantly evaluating his progress and will err on the side of caution when it comes to reinserting him into the lineup.

“I don’t know that we’re interested in putting a timeline on him because the injury is unique,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said on Tuesday, per Bontemps. “But as far as how he feels and the progress that he’s made, I’d say we’re very, very pleased with where he is, and maybe a little surprised.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

  • Porzingis isn’t the only Celtics big man to have undergone surgery this offseason. According to Stevens, Xavier Tillman had a knee scope in July and Luke Kornet underwent a procedure on his wrist right after the season, but both players are recovered and good to go for camp, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
  • Star forward Jayson Tatum joked on Tuesday that no one was happier than Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla that Tatum wasn’t named Finals MVP and then was held out of two Olympic games, since both experiences could provide added motivation heading into 2024/25, Weiss writes for The Athletic. Still, Tatum said he didn’t need any extra motivation and that he enjoyed his Olympic experience as a whole despite the “unique circumstance” of being benched for two games.
  • While Tatum downplayed his Olympic role (or lack thereof) as a source of motivation for the coming season, teammate Al Horford said he “personally was not happy about” Tatum’s sporadic minutes and Jaylen Brown‘s omission from the U.S. roster, according to Shelburne. “Those guys, they’re very special to me. And even though it was nothing against me, it motivated me and all of us for this season,” Horford said. “I know that they handled it well. They’re fine. But when you see those two guys, the amount of work that they’ve put in, the sacrifices they have made. To be on the top of their games and that happened to them, it was hard to watch (the Olympics) and not see them in the position that we would’ve hoped to see them in.” Brown, who expressed his displeasure in the summer after not being named to Team USA, added on Tuesday that he’s “extremely motivated” heading into the 2024/25 season “for obvious reasons.”
  • As Weiss relays, Tatum told reporters on Tuesday that he has been making some mechanical tweaks to his jump shot this offseason after struggling with it at the Olympics and in the 2024 postseason. “There (are) some things I could’ve fixed (earlier), but just in the midst of the playoffs trying to manage your rest and things like that, it’s a little tougher,” Tatum said. “I was still playing well, just wasn’t shooting the ball as well as I would have liked. And obviously, we were winning, so it wasn’t the time or place to try to fix things in that moment.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Centers, Griffin, Schedule

Will Celtics star Jayson Tatum turn his Olympics experience into motivation for the upcoming season? That’s the opinion of one of the anonymous NBA coaches and executives who talked to Steve Bulpett of Heavy about Tatum’s surprisingly small role with Team USA.

“It’s going to be really interesting to see how Tatum reacts to all of this,” said one former player who’s now in an NBA front office. “From everything I’ve seen and know, he’ll use it as motivation. The great ones always do. They perceive slights even when they’re not there. [Michael Jordan] took everything personal. That’s how a great player becomes a beast.”

Tatum seemed like a good bet to be one of the stars of the U.S. team when the roster was announced. However, his limited role turned out to be one of the few controversies for coach Steve Kerr as the Americans captured the gold medal. Tatum didn’t play at all in the two games against Serbia, and he was often used as the 11th man on a talented roster.

Another executive suggested to Bulpett that Tatum could be the star of Team USA if he decides to return for the 2028 Olympics.

“He got the gold. He didn’t get the role he wanted,” the executive said. “But next time he’ll probably be in the role he wants, with no (Kevin Durant) and no LeBron (James) and no (Stephen Curry) playing. He’ll be the next generation of them.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

  • Coach Joe Mazzulla will likely stagger the rest nights for Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis once Porzingis returns from offseason surgery, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He notes that Mazzulla took a similar approach last season, with Luke Kornet performing well whenever he was asked to start. Robb expects Kornet, Xavier Tillman and possibly Neemias Queta to see regular minutes during the first half of the season.
  • Blake Griffin, who officiated Payton Pritchard‘s wedding last week, remains close with his former Celtics teammates, but doesn’t seem likely to join the team as an assistant coach, Robb adds in the same piece. Griffin’s desire to spend more time with his young children played a role in his decision to retire last season instead of re-signing with Boston, so Robb doesn’t believe he would be interested in any job that requires heavy travel.
  • In the wake of Thursday’s schedule release, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe looks at the most intriguing matchups for the Celtics on this year’s slate.

Brad Stevens Provides Update On Kristaps Porzingis

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis is working out in Latvia, but the team still doesn’t expect him back on the court for several months, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Porzingis missed most of the playoffs after suffering a strained right calf in Boston’s first-round series against Miami. He underwent surgery in late June for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg and was given a five- to six-month recovery timeline that could delay his return until sometime in 2025.

“He’s starting to do more and more and more,” Stevens said of Porzingis, who recently posted an online photo of himself during a workout. “He was in a boot for a while there, but every indication is he’s progressing well and he’s on the right timeline. But it’s going to be a while.”

Surgery had already been planned for Porzingis when he was given permission to return for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He played 16 minutes as the Celtics wrapped up their 18th championship, saying he was willing to risk further injury to be part of the experience. Stevens explained the process that led to the decision to have Porzingis play.

“He was going to have to have surgery regardless,” Stevens said. “He was moving better than he was before Games 3 and 4 and had probably gotten more used to it. And the outcome wasn’t going to change whether he played or not after that moment. It was just, really, could he do it? I was pretty impressed that he did. I don’t know exactly what he felt like, but I know he wasn’t 100 percent. But the toughness to get out there and do it was awesome. But that didn’t make it worse, and it wasn’t going to.”

Stevens touches on several more topics in the lengthy interview:

  • The Celtics have a strong Olympic presence with Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White all playing for Team USA, but Jaylen Brown was upset with the process that led to his exclusion. Stevens said he talked with USA Basketball director Grant Hill, who expressed interest in having Brown as part of the 2028 team. “I think Jaylen is one of the best players in the world,” Stevens added. “And one of the best things about Jaylen is whether he gets the call and makes the team or doesn’t get the call, he’s going to use it as motivation to get better. So I know he’s working and he’s excited about improving. I think he’ll truly embrace the challenges that come with winning last year. That’s who he’s always been. And this will probably add more fuel to his fire. But he doesn’t need much fuel added. He finds it.”
  • It’s been a frustrating Olympics for Tatum, who has seen limited playing time so far. Stevens said Tatum hasn’t complained about the experience and suggested he could still be a factor in Saturday’s gold medal game against France. “When we’ve talked, he’s been all about the team,” Stevens said. “This is such a unique opportunity to win a gold medal in the Olympics. He’s always ready. The championship game will be a great road environment, and he shines in those situations.”
  • Stevens reiterated his support for head coach Joe Mazzulla, who was under fire last summer after losing to Miami in the conference finals. “[The criticism] was more intense than it should have been on him the year before, and that’s one of the reasons I am happy for him, because he didn’t deserve that the year before,” Stevens said. “And to his credit, I think he’s been super humble about this achievement, because that’s necessary, too. He has to handle this right, because people are going to follow his lead.”

Kristaps Porzingis Will Be Sidelined 5-6 Months Following Surgery

The Celtics have announced that Kristaps Porzingis will be sidelined for five to six months after undergoing surgery for a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. His projected recovery timeline means he’ll miss at least the first month or two of next season.

Porzingis wasn’t available for most of the Celtics’ playoff run because of a strained right calf he suffered in the first-round series against Miami. He was able to return for the start of the NBA Finals, but was knocked out of action in Game 2 with the new left leg injury that forced him to have surgery. He made a brief return as Boston won the title in Game 5, but he admitted that he probably made his condition worse by playing.

Injuries have plagued Porzingis throughout his career, but he was relatively healthy for most of the regular season, appearing in 57 games and averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per night. He negotiated a two-year, $60MM extension after being traded to Boston last summer and is under contract through 2025/26.

Porzingis’ early-season absence increases the Celtics’ urgency to keep at least one of their backup centers. The team will want to be careful with Porzingis when he does return, along with veteran big man Al Horford, who recently turned 38.

Boston holds a $2.2MM team option on Neemias Queta, but Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are unrestricted free agents.

Brian Robb of MassLive suggests the front office should be aggressive on the free agent market in trying to find another big man willing to accept a veteran’s minimum contract, which is all Boston can offer as a second-apron team. He lists former Celtic Daniel Theis as one possibility, along with Mason Plumlee, Andre Drummond and Drew Eubanks.

Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Celtics, Knicks, Nets

Injured Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis is expected to undergo surgery on his left leg injury in the coming days, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston).

Porzingis told ESPN after the NBA Finals ended last week that his injury – a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon – would require surgery, so this news doesn’t come as a surprise. However, as the Celtics explain in their announcement, the star center had hoped to put off surgery until after Latvia’s Olympic qualifying tournament — and potentially its trip to Paris. That won’t be possible, as Porzingis is unable to play through the injury at the level required for Olympic competition, per the team.

The Celtics are expected to provide updates on Porzingis’ recovery timeline after the surgery is completed. Latvia, meanwhile, will look to claim a spot in the 12-team men’s basketball Olympic tournament without Porzingis available. In order to clinch an Olympic berth, the Latvians will need to win a six-team qualifying tournament over Georgia, Brazil, Cameroon, Montenegro, and the Philippines. That tournament will take place from July 2-7 in Riga, Latvia.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Revisiting the Celtics‘ series of trades from last year, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reports that Boston still would have traded away Marcus Smart during the 2023 offseason even if its initial deal for Porzingis – which involved sending Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers – hadn’t fallen through. According to O’Connor, if that Brogdon trade had been completed, the Celtics intended to send Smart to the Grizzlies in a separate deal for Tyus Jones and the two draft picks Boston got in the final Porzingis trade. In that scenario, the C’s may not have been in position to acquire Jrue Holiday later in the offseason.
  • Indiana center Kel’el Ware, Akron forward Enrique Freeman, and San Francisco forward Jonathan Mogbo are among the prospects who have worked out for the Knicks recently, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. New York currently holds the 24th and 25th overall picks in the first round on Wednesday, along with No. 38 on Thursday.
  • Fred Katz and Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic spoke to an Eastern Conference executive about several possible draft options for the Knicks, evaluating the pros and cons of Ryan Dunn, Kyshawn George, DaRon Holmes II, and Mogbo, among others.
  • The NBA’s Board of Governors has voted to approve the sale of 15% of the Nets‘ parent company (BSE Global) to billionaire Julia Koch and her family, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. For more details on the Kochs buying into the Nets, you can read our full story here.

Kristaps Porzingis Confirms He’ll Undergo Leg Surgery

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis confirmed after his team put the finishing touches on its championship run on Monday night that he’ll undergo surgery to address his “rare” left leg injury, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Porzingis added that the recovery process will likely take a “few months.” Given the quick turnaround between the end of the Celtics’ season and the start of the 2024/25 campaign, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll be ready to go for training camp in the fall.

Porzingis suffered the injury in Game 2 while battling for rebounding position on a free throw attempt after having returned from a calf strain in his right leg at the start of the NBA Finals. In their announcement last week, the Celtics referred to the new ailment as a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon” in the veteran center’s left leg.

Porzingis missed Game 3 and didn’t play in Game 4 despite being active. He returned to the court for Game 5 on Monday, contributing five points and a rebound in 16 minutes of action. Boston outscored Dallas by eight points when he was on the court.

If it had occurred during the regular season, the injury likely would’ve sidelined Porzingis immediately for a lengthy period. However, he was determined to try to play through it if he could, even though he admitted after Monday’s series-clinching victory that he had concerns about potentially making it worse.

“I think something could have happened, for sure, especially compensating now on the other leg now, which I just came back from,” he said, per Bontemps. “There was definitely some added risk, but I didn’t care. I was like, ‘I want to give everything I can and then fix it after if I need to.'”

Having signed a two-year, $60MM extension with the Celtics after being traded to the team last summer, Porzingis is under contract through the 2025/26 season. He’ll make approximately $29.3MM in ’24/25.

Kristaps Porzingis Available To Play In Game 5

6:15pm: Mazzulla indicated during his pregame press conference that Porzingis will see action tonight, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets. “Expecting to see him tonight,” the Celtics’ head coach said.


5:40pm: Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis is listed as available to play in Game 5 of the Finals tonight, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets.

Porzingis went through a pregame workout before the team announced he could suit up.

Whether Porzingis actually gets into the game remains to be seen. Porzingis was available to play in Game 4 but coach Joe Mazzulla, with his team leading the series 3-0, opted to keep his usual starting center on the bench.

Porzingis hasn’t played since Game 2 of the Finals. He’s dealing with a torn medial retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg. The injury is unrelated to the calf strain that kept him out of action for over a month during the postseason.

Porzingis made a sparkling return in Game 1, contributing 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. He also played well in Game 2, supplying 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Game 5, Van Gundy, Draft

Kristaps Porzingis, who hasn’t played in either of the past two games of the NBA Finals due to a “rare” leg injury, is listed as questionable to play in Game 5. While it’s possible he’s active for Monday’s contest, like he was on Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link) that the big man seems unlikely to play a significant role.

“Right before Game 4, what I was told is that they would only utilize Kristaps Porzingis in situational appearances,” Charania said. “When you’re guarding the inbound, if you need to shoot a free throw, when you need to defend the rim on a lob threat with (little) time left on a possession. I would expect the same here in Game 5. … He’s just not there from a physical perspective.”

Celtics big man Xavier Tillman, who has seen some action in Games 3 and 4 with Porzingis unavailable, suggested during his media availability on Sunday that his frontcourt teammate is far from 100%.

“When we go through our practices, he’s doing some stuff, but you can still tell he’s very uncomfortable,” Tillman said (Twitter video link via Noa Dalzell of Celtics Blog). Asked if there’s been any noticeable improvements in recent days since Porzingis was diagnosed with the injury following Game 2, Tillman replied, “It’s been pretty much the same.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

  • As Sam Amick of The Athletic details, Jayson Tatum spoke on Sunday about head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s efforts to have his team carry a positive mindset into its second potential close-out game on Monday. “Joe did a great job today of reminding us that it’s OK to smile during wars,” Tatum said. “It’s OK to have fun during high-pressure moments. We would love to win tomorrow, more than anything. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world. We have more opportunities. So just setting that (mindset) of ‘Don’t surrender to that idea that we have to win tomorrow.’ We would love to, absolutely. But Game 5 is the biggest game of the season because it’s the next game on the schedule. So (it’s) going with that mindset and just have fun. That’s really what we talked about today. Get back to having fun and being a team and how special we are and the team that got us here.”
  • Jeff Van Gundy joined the Celtics as a senior consultant last fall after being fired by ESPN and enduring a series of hardships in his personal life, including a death in the family, he revealed during an appearance on The Mark Jackson Show (hat tip to Brian Robb of MassLive.com). Given that context, Van Gundy appreciated the way that the franchise “embraced and welcomed” him. “I was really in an awkward place in life, not really knowing where I was going or what my purpose was, or how I’d be with this new group of people where I didn’t know anyone,” Van Gundy said. “It’s been one of the most rejuvenating things I’ve ever gone through. Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla threw me a lifeline.”
  • The Celtics hosted a pre-draft workout over the weekend that featured Ryan Dunn (Virginia), Justin Edwards (Kentucky), Enrique Freeman (Akron), and Judah Mintz (Syraucse), tweets Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. Boston controls the 30th and 54th overall picks in this year’s draft, while those four prospects rank between 31st (Edwards) and 78th (Mintz) on ESPN’s big board for 2024.