Kristaps Porzingis has been back on the court for the Celtics for already nearly a month now. But at this point, he said he still doesn’t quite feel 100% like himself. That’s natural considering he missed several months following surgery on his rare foot injury from the NBA Finals.
After the Celtics blew out the Bulls on Saturday, Porzingis had an encouraging diagnosis on his current status. From the sounds of it, he doesn’t feel like he’s all the way back, but it’s not necessarily a physical limitation that’s slowing him down. The big man finished with 22 points and seven rebounds Saturday.
“Honestly, still getting there,” Porzingis told reporters in Chicago, via NBC Sports Boston. “I want to feel even better. I know I’m playing a little bit better. But my percentages are still not perfect. Not feeling my shot perfect yet. Like, of course, I’m being a little bit critical. But I know I can play much better.”
Porzingis returned to play back on Nov. 25 in a win over the Clippers, when he played 23 minutes. Since then, including the Bulls game Saturday, he’s now up to nine games played, averaging 19.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Compared to last year’s averages of 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, the numbers are about the same.
At this point, the team is comfortable playing him his normal allotment of minutes. He played 36 minutes Thursday against the Bulls then followed that up with a 30-minute night Saturday. He did have a small injury scare with right heel pain against the Wizards a week ago, but that’s behind him now.
As Porzingis pointed out, he’s played better as he’s gotten his legs more under him. He joked he was blowing tires on the court when he first came back, so those instances aren’t as frequent anymore with his conditioning up. While his shooting percentages are a little down compared to last season, it’s not anything to be concerned about at this point over such a small sample size of just nine games. And as long as the big man is feeling more and more like himself, that should be the main priority for now.
“Decision-making is okay,” Porzingis said. “Getting there. But I think shooting and a little bit more even better stamina. Just to crash even more. Cut some moments that I just feel like I need to save a little bit of energy. But overall, I’m getting there. Once I get there, you’ll know and I’ll let you know.”
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