"You can tell he's uncomfortable" - Xavier Tillman weighs in on Kristaps Porzingis' rare leg injury ahead of Game 5
Kristaps Porzingis has been listed as questionable by the Boston Celtics ahead of Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Teammate Xavier Tillman, who filled in for Porzingis in Games 3 and 4, weighed in on the rare injury that plagued the Latvian star.
In a post-practice press conference on Sunday, Tillman was asked about the possibility of Porzingis playing in Game 5. He observed his teammate struggle with the injury during practice and could tell he was in pain. He doesn't know if the former All-Star will be able to play on Monday night.
"We'll see. Obviously, like they said it's a rare leg injury, so if he's in excruciating pain and can't be his best, it might not be worth it. ... When we go through our practices, he's doing some stuff but you can tell he's very uncomfortable. Like I said, we don't want to put him in any type of situation that really would hurt him," Tillman said.
Kristaps Porzingis missed Game 3 of the NBA Finals with a left posterior tibialis dislocation, a rare injury described as a tendon slipping out of place. It could cause inflammation and there have only been 32 documented cases back in 2006, as per Sports Illustrated.
Porzingis was made available in Game 4, but did not play a single minute. The Boston Celtics were blown out early and there was no point in letting him play to risk aggravating his injury.
Heading into Game 5 back at the TD Garden, the Celtics have listed Porzingis as questionable. It's unclear if the team's medical team will clear him before tip-off. Nevertheless, the team would likely want him to be as healthy as possible and not put him in a bad position to make his injury worse.
Doctor believes Kristaps Porzingis will need surgery this offseason
According to Dr. Robert Volk, a former team physician for the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kristaps Porzingis might need to undergo surgery in the offseason. Volk believes Porzingis could still play in the NBA Finals depending on his pain tolerance and inflammation, but surgery will fix the issue.
"Almost certainly. Almost every case report that I'm aware of. First of all, it's a very rare injury, but it is reported in the literature. But every case report that I've read, conservative treatment tends to not be very successful. So, especially in a high-level athlete, you usually are gonna undergo surgery to either tighten or recreate that retinaculum," Volk said. [H/T Sports Illustrated]
Porzingis' career has been derailed by injuries and, unfortunately, he sustained a rare injury in the NBA Finals. He's coming off a right leg injury that caused him to miss the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals.