With the start of the 2024 NBA Finals drawing near, so is Kristaps Porzingis' return to the court for the Boston Celtics from his calf injury. Porzingis, who has not played since April 29, is on track to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, barring an unforeseen setback, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
All indications leading up to the NBA Finals have pointed in the direction of Porzingis being available. Now, after recently competing in multiple scrimmages, the star big man is set to take the court for the Celtics with a championship on the line.
Porzingis, who suffered a right soleus strain in Game 4 of the Celtics' first-round series against the Miami Heat, had been ramping up his activities in recent weeks. There was a sense that he could have returned to the court in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, but with Boston dominating the series, they decided to keep him sidelined ahead of the NBA Finals.
In a total of 57 regular-season games, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 37.5 percent from three-point range. The Latvian big man has proven to be one of the most influential players on the Celtics' roster, and he is a big reason why they found so much success on both sides of the court this season. It is not hard to call Porzingis one of the most underrated two-way players in the league, as he was the anchor of the Celtics' defense this year.
On Friday, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about Porzingis working his way back from this calf injury, citing that his big man was close to a return.
“He’s getting better. He’s out there shooting. Went through a couple of drills in practice,” Mazzulla said. “So progressing well and I’m confident on where he’s at right now.”
Entering the NBA Finals against the Mavericks, Porzingis will be leaned on for production from the very start of Game 1. It will be interesting to see how Dallas looks to minimize his production, with Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Maxi Kleber all taking turns guarding him. This is the first time in Porzingis' career that he has been to the NBA Finals.
Given how well the Mavericks have played offensively as of late, the Celtics are going to need every bit of production outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That is why Porzingis has a chance to be the ultimate X-factor in this series. He has the ability to extend possessions and also limit his opposition's scoring opportunities as a shot blocker, which is why Porzingis' return is so important.
Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals is set to be played in Boston on Thursday night. Porzingis will very likely find himself on the injury report entering the day, but all indications point towards him being in the Celtics' starting lineup to begin this championship series.
