Alright, hoop heads, buckle up! We’ve got some juicy Celtics gossip to dive into.
Porzingis’ Bumpy Road to Recovery
So, the reigning champs are back in action, but there’s a hiccup. Kristaps Porzingis, our Latvian unicorn, is still on the mend from offseason surgery. Remember that gnarly injury he picked up in the Finals against the Mavs? Torn retinaculum and a dislocated tibial tendon. Ouch. But hey, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Kristaps told ESPNโs Ramona Shelburne, โThe expectation is sometime in December,โ but heโs optimistic about an earlier return. Fingers crossed, right?
Kristaps Hearts Boston
Porzingis can’t stop gushing about Boston. He said, โI love playing here. Even before I came, I loved playing here on the road. And then when I came here, I got so much support from the fans, and I was able to connect with the fans really wellโฆ It’s like no place else for me.โ Check out the tweet for the full scoop:
Kristaps Porzingis absolutely loves Boston:
โI love playing here. Even before I came, I loved playing here on the road. And then when I came here, I got so much support from the fans, and I was able to connect with the fans really wellโฆ It’s like no place else for me,
โ Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin)
Training Updates: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Kristaps has been grinding hard in rehab. โWalking obviously (with no limp),โ he said. โIโm running, Iโm on the court, shooting normal. โฆ Iโm doing a lot of stuff, honestly. I was already kind of with some live contact, doing some stuff, and, yeah, it felt really good afterwards.โ Sounds promising, but letโs not get ahead of ourselves. In my opinion, rushing back could be risky. We need him healthy for the playoffs, not just the regular season.
Brad Stevens’ Take on the Team’s Health
Brad Stevens, the man with the plan, is pretty upbeat about the squadโs health. โIโm really encouraged by the health of our team,โ he said. โKristaps had the surgery, which was well-documented, and he seems to be recovering well, heโs very optimistic.โ However, heโs cautious about setting a firm timeline. โI donโt know if we want to put a firm timeline on him because the injury is unique,โ Stevens added. Smart move, Brad. No need to jinx it.
Are the Celtics the Favorites?
Now, letโs talk about next season. The Celtics look solid, keeping most of their roster intact. But Brad isnโt ready to call them the favorites just yet. โI donโt know what the leagueโs going to look like in three weeks, so who knows?โ he said. โBut I know this. Human nature is going to be another huge opponent. All of our opponents โ when you win โ the other 29 teams target you. Itโs a different thing to come back from to then be great again.โ
And hey, check out this video for more hot takes: https://www.youtube.com/embed/x0LzjH95QFI
Staying Hungry
Kristaps is still hungry for more titles. โIโm still extremely hungry,โ he said. โI still feel like I have a chip on my shoulder. I want to stay healthy throughout this next playoff run weโre going to have, so I still have many things to prove in my own eyes.โ Love that fire.
Brad also chimed in on the teamโs future. โWeโll always evaluate how to make our team better. But I think we would be crazy not to say that character and the foundation of this team is right. And letโs see if we can be as consistent as we can. Grow. Develop. Get better. Improve. โฆ Iโm not anticipating major changes, at least early on. Because I think this team deserves that,โ he explained.
So, what do you think? Can the Celtics go back-to-back? Or will the pressure of being the hunted take its toll? Letโs hear your thoughts!
