Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis New Injury Update Before Facing Dallas Mavericks in NBA Finals

There is new information about Kristaps Porzingis' potential availablity to begin the NBA Finals in a matchup against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.

Apr 27, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) warms-up before game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — Among the significant developments to monitor entering the NBA Finals matchup involving the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics is the injury status of Kristaps Porzingis.

Porzingis has been sidelined due to a strained soleus since April 29 during the team's first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. There is optimism about Porzingis' potential availability to play Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but a timetable has yet to be revealed.

Apr 27, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) warms-up before game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

After Saturday's practice, Mazzulla described the team's overall activity level as it being a "moderate" day, but Porzingis managed to do "everything" the rest of the team did. More should be known on Sunday when Boston has a more intense practice.

"He did everything," Mazzulla said. "We'll go significantly harder tomorrow, but today was kind of moderate. He went through everything that the team did today."

Porzingis was productive in the regular season, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 57 games. His averages declined in the limited postseason action he's had with Boston, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.

Many consider Porzingis' availability as a potential swing factor for the Celtics. His presence as a shot blocker coupled with his length as a play finisher while being a shooting option enables Boston to deploy a versatile style on both ends.

With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to account for, along with plenty of athletic wings that like to attack closeouts, the Celtics would gladly take having Porzingis on the backline to protect the rim. It helps the on-ball defender get into the ball and try to take away off-the-dribble jump shots since they can have more help when turning that player downhill.

“He does a great job of just making it difficult for them... It’s always nice to know that he’s back there — whether he blocks or he doesn’t block, he makes them think about it," White said of Porzingis' presence. "It's been really great having him on our side... As he comes back and gets in the flow of things, it'll be nice."

Naturally, there will be questions about how healthy Porzingis is or how well he's going to move when he's trying to guard in space defensively. The center position is a frequent target of the Mavericks' offensive attack and they are coming off a successful series against Rudy Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Finals

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