Kristaps Porzingis reaches next step in injury recovery, will practice with Maine Celtics
BOSTON -- Kristaps Porzingis has taken another step toward his return for the Boston Celtics. That next step will bring the big man to the G League -- at least for an afternoon.
The Celtics announced that Porzingis has reached "the next phase in his recovery" on Monday. As part of the plan, he'll be assigned to the Maine Celtics to practice with Boston's G League affiliate later in the afternoon. Porzingis won't actually head to Maine though, as the G League Celtics will practice at the Auerbach Center in Brighton.
Fellow big man Xavier Tillman will also practice with the Maine Celtics along with Porzingis on Monday. Both be recalled following the session.
The Celtics added that Porzingis will continue to ramp up his workload after the session, but offered no other update on when he could potentially return to the Boston lineup.
Porzingis ramps up on-court work
On Friday, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed that Porzingis has been participating in some on-court workouts.
"He's getting there," Mazzulla said. "He's been able to do some stuff on the court. Some reads versus the coaches. Some up and down work, 5-on-1 vs. the coaches, so he's getting there."
That Porzingis is now set to practice with other players is another positive sign and a big step towards his return. While there is no firm date when he'll be back, it's been reported that Porzingis and the Celtics are targeting sometime in December for a return to the Boston lineup.
Porzingis' rare injury in NBA Finals
Porzingis suffered "a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of posterior tibialis tendon" in his left leg during Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Mavericks, a rare injury that required surgery over the offseason. But Porzingis was still able to suit up for Boston in Game 5 and played briefly in the team's title-clinching victory at TD Garden.
Porzingis made a huge impact in his first season with the Celtics, averaging 20.1 points while shooting a career-best 51.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range to go with 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest.
The Celtics are off to an 11-3 start without Porzingis this season. Boston will host the 15-0 Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden on Tuesday as the Celtics continue Group Play in the NBA Cup.