Kristaps Porzingis status: Boston Celtics' center set to miss quarterfinals of NBA In-Season Tournament
Kristaps Porzingis has been an incredible addition to the Boston Celtics this season with how he changes the team's offensive and defensive capabilities. However, he has been sidelined since Friday with a left calf strain and is set to miss the Celtics' In-Season Tournament quarterfinal game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, according to The Athletic's Jay King.
Porzingis sustained a left calf strain during the Celtics' last In-Season Tournament game, which was against the Orlando Magic. The injury occurred during the third quarter as he did a quick pump fake to get closer to the rim.
In the 15 games that Kristaps Porzingis has played this season, he has averaged 18.9 points (54.7% shooting, including 32.4% from 3-point range) and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Following the previous MRI that he did, Porzingis spoke about his condition, according to Mass Live's Souichi Terada.
"I knew it wasn't anything," Porzingis said, "but just a confirmation that something, of course, happened. I felt something a little bit. But that it was just gonna be a short recovery. That's what I was hoping for, and that's it."
From Porzingis' comments, the Celtics forward didn't sound too worried about the injury.
Additionally, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was asked for an update on Kristaps Porzingis moving forward, as per Yahoo! Sports' Cameron Tabatabaie.
"He feels better than he did before," Mazzulla said. "I think we'll just try to continue to take it day-by-day and see how he feels."
Mazzulla emphasized that the team is taking a cautious approach with Porzingis' injury as they don't want to rush his recovery, especially with the team managing to win games in his absence.
Kristaps Porzingis talks about his role with the Boston Celtics
During an interview with New York Daily News' Kristian Winfield, Kristaps Porzingis talked about his "comfortable" role with the Boston Celtics as he considers it to be the most effective he has been on the court.
"I'm much more effective now than when I was shooting 18 shots per game," Porzingis said. "So, I'm comfortable in this role also. And there's going to be different games and different situations, and I'm going to be ready to step up or be there to support these guys. That's why I'm here."
Compared to his experiences with past teams, Porzingis mentioned that he has no problem with the role given to him by the Celtics, which has benefitted the team this season.
Boston (15-4, a .789 winning percentage) is in first place (15-4) in the Eastern Conference.