The Boston Celtics enter this year’s playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference and are relatively healthy as of now.
One player whose injury status has been a question mark throughout his career is star big man Kristaps Porzingis. Naturally, at a media session, Celtics reporters asked him about his injury status.
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Kristaps Porzingis gave @JackSimoneNBA and the rest of the media a health update:
“I’m feeling good. Taking care of my body … Feeling healthy.” pic.twitter.com/thtqAEQqXc
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) April 16, 2025
“I’m feeling good. Taking care of my body… Feeling healthy,” he told the media.
Porzingis has a history of injury issues, but because of his incredible combination of size and shooting ability, he is a huge part of the Celtics’ success.
He provides a different dynamic to the team that can’t be replicated by anyone else on the team, and can barely be replicated by anyone else in the NBA.
His movement and athleticism at his size are a big reason for his injury issues in the past, so it is both a blessing and a curse. It makes him a mismatch on the court, but also leaves Celtics fans holding their breath every time he moves funny.
In last year’s playoffs, Al Horford put in a valiant effort in his absence, but it would be hard for the team to rely on a 38-year-old so much in the playoffs again. Horford is incredible at his age and is fully capable of great production in big minutes, but that is not a recipe for long-term success.
Porzingis played just seven games last year but had a huge impact, which is a big reason why he only played in 42 games this season. The Celtics may need Porzingis for every game in this year’s playoffs if they want any chance to repeat.
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It will be interesting how, if at all, head coach Joe Mazulla will manage Porzingis’s minutes during the playoffs, especially early on.
If the team starts to dominate their early playoff opponents, that could be a prime opportunity to rest some players who may need it. Al Horford could fall into that category too given his age.
That could mean Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta get more minutes than people are expecting. They have shown to be solid players in the regular season, but time will tell if they provide similar production in the playoffs.
As of now, Porzingis is healthy and making Celtics fans happy with the things he is saying, but injury issues can always derail a top team at any moment, not just for someone more injury-prone like Porzingis. Just as it was last year, it would be a huge loss if the team lost their star big man again in this year’s playoffs.
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