Kristaps Porzingis of the Celtics provides a positive update on his injury

Kristaps Porzingis, the center for the Boston Celtics, hurt his calf during their Game 4 victory against the Miami Heat. There’s no set schedule for his comeback. He did, however, provide a very positive report on his recuperation.

For the first time since the injury, Porzingis spoke with media and confidently stated that he hoped for a speedy recovery.

“There’s no specific date obviously. It’s still pretty early,” Porziņģis told reports, per CLNS Media Boston Sports Network’s YouTube Channel. “I think it will be clear once I start doing more stuff. … Not super close yet. But expecting to recover at a historic rate.”

Porzingis also admitted how upset he was when it first happened, but that changed when he found out the extent of the injury.

You witnessed my response on the court. After we received the diagnosis, I became more composed,” Porziņģis remarked. “It appears to be less severe than I had previously believed. Yes, it is the reality. Nobody desires to suffer harm. However, it’s at least not as horrible as it could have been.

Porzingis hung his jersey over his head and was really upset when he first hurt himself.

This was part of the risk of the Celtics acquiring Porzingis. The question will be whether he returns, and if he does, how healthy he will be for the Celtics’ playoff run.

Orthopedic Surgeon Outlines Kristaps Porzingis’ Recovery

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Kharazzi outlined to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss what Porzingis’ recovery time looks like.

“From what I understand, Porziņģis’ injury is a grade 2 and the recovery I would be hoping is somewhere in the two- to three-week mark,” Kharrazi told Weiss in a May 4 story. “A lot of reports said it’s similar to what Giannis Antetokounmpo had and I understand Giannis had a Grade 2.”

Kharazzi delved further into what Porzingis injured, but added why Porzingis recovery should not take too long.

“Calf strains are typically gastroc strains, which is (the muscle) on the outside portion of the leg. Ninety percent of the time when the leg is injured with a calf strain, it’s a gastroc medial head injury,” Kharrazi said. “The soleus muscle is much deeper than the gastroc. But the good news is the soleus is very vascular, it has a good blood supply. With the deeper strains, though it can be a little bit more force causing that injury, the recovery is not extremely protracted. So usually 2-to-3 weeks should be the timeline.”

Porzingis is expected to miss the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Al Horford to Start in Kristaps Porzingis’ Place

After Porzingis injured his calf, the Celtics started Horford in his place in Game 5. Pending any surprises, Horford will be the starter going forward until Porzingis returns.

That would depend on how the Celtics fare for the rest of the postseason. The Celtics have a proven commodity with Horford, as he started at center throughout every single playoff run he’s played in Boston until Porzingis’ arrival.

The Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the Celtics’ next opponents. The Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks will be their next opponents if they go past them.