Why is Kristaps Porzingis not playing tonight against the Knicks? Celtics center's absence explored (Oct. 22)

Kristaps Porzingis won’t play for the Boston Celtics in their season opener against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Porzingis is listed as out on the injury report after undergoing foot surgery in June. He is the only Celtics player on the IR for the season-opening game.

While Porzingis won’t play, he should be present at TD Garden for the Boston Celtics’ championship ring ceremony. The players will get their rings for last season’s title run, as the franchise will raise its league-leading 18th championship banner to the rafters.

The Celtics signed Kristaps Porzingis in the summer of 2023. While he played in only seven playoff games due to injuries, he was a key part of Boston’s stellar regular season, where it finished with a league-leading 64-18 record.

Porzingis played and started in 57 regular-season games, with averages of 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He shot a career-high 51.6% from the field. He also shot 37.5% from the 3-point line and 85.8% from the free-throw line.

What happened to Kristaps Porzingis?

Kristaps Porzingis suffered a rare leg injury during Game 2 of the 2023-24 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics announced after the game that Porzingis had a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg.”

Porzingis missed Games 3 and 4 before returning to the lineup for the fifth game. He came off the bench and scored five points in 16 minutes.

The Latvian big man underwent surgery on June 27 to fix the left leg injury. Boston announced at the time that Porzingis was expected to return in five to six months. As it has been nearly four months since the surgery, don’t expect Prozingis to be back until the end of the year or the beginning of 2025.

The Celtics are expected to be cautious with Porzingis and not hasten his return. Boston already has Al Horford at the center position, and Sam Hauser had a decent preseason as well.

Where and how to watch New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics?

The 2024-25 NBA season tips off with a game between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at TD Garden. The matchup will be broadcast nationally by TNT. Fans can also stream it live with subscriptions to NBA League Pass and FuboTV.