Kristaps Porzingis Update: Celtics Center ‘Lurking’ Amid Injury Rehab

Kristaps Porzingis underwent surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg over four months ago, leaving the Boston Celtics patiently waiting amid their title defense campaign.

During team media day in September, Porzingis was all smiles and slowly getting reacclimated to practice activity — running, shooting and light contact work. Boston knew back when clinching Banner 18 in June that Porzingis would require offseason surgery and a multi-month recovery period before rejoining teammates on the hunt for a repeat. So far, the journey’s had its fair share of early hiccups and challenges, all while Porzingis has remained determined and focused.

In fact, during pregame warmups Porzingis can be spotted getting shots up alongside teammates, signaling a stronger and healthier Porzingis inching closer each day.

“KP is lurking,” NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg said on “Celtics PostUp.” “I’ve been saying this: What he’s doing in warmups is very similar to what we saw during the playoffs — maybe even a step beyond that — when he got in good enough shape to get out there against (the Dallas Mavericks) for a game.”

Porzingis worked on contested 3-point drills with Derrick White and Payton Pritchard before Wednesday night’s 139-114 bounce-back win over the Brooklyn Nets. It’s likely not easy for Porzingis to watch Boston undergo its struggling nights like Tuesday night’s Emirates NBA Cup loss to the Atlanta Hawks, but Porzingis — like the Celtics — isn’t skipping any steps. Boston’s done everything in its power, primarily by plugging in 25-year-old Neemias Queta more frequently, to keep the team on track.

Still, it’s been difficult — to say the least.

Boston ranks 20th in the league in rebounds (42.8), including 18th in defensive boards (32.8) and 19th in offensive (10.1). It’s hard to judge based on a 13-game aggregate, especially with the second-best record (10-3) in the NBA, but when the rebounding war is lost, it’s been ugly to watch.

“It’s easy to forget, as good as the Celtics have been, they’re getting back this 7-(foot)-2 guy who makes them completely different,” Forsberg added, per NBC Sports Boston. “So, when I saw him out there tonight, getting loose, smiling as always, dunking it on his way off the court, it’s a good sign that, hey, the good things are coming.”

Porzingis averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds across 57 appearances debuting with the Celtics last season. Without Porzingis, Boston went 21-4, although this go-around, the 29-year-old has worked to find ways to contribute, even from the sidelines.

He offered a few words of encouragement during team huddles as an official player/coach, which was well-received by Celtics teammates and staff.

“He was very verbal and he was in his coaching bag, giving guys what he was seeing out there,” Jaylen Brown said, per NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage on Wednesday night. “That’s a good sign. That’s a good signal that he’s getting close, he’s getting ready. But his mind, his spirit is out there with us and we can’t wait to welcome him back.”