It has been established time and again that with Kristaps Porzingis, the Boston Celtics might have the best starting five in the NBA. Given how well they did last season, the Celtics will want to make sure the 7-foot-2 center is fully healthy. After a surprising early return from the offseason leg surgery, Porzingis has had a smooth run on the floor this season. The hoopster has appeared in 7 games, scoring an average of 19 points and grabbing 7 rebounds per game.

But he gave everyone an injury scare on Sunday. Porzingis hurt his foot after finishing an alley-oop with just under 6 minutes remaining in the second quarter against the Wizards. The Celtics quickly pulled him from the game, and by halftime, they had listed him as questionable to return.

The same status continues for the big man against the Chicago Bulls. They have deemed him questionable for the game.

After the previous game, though, Porzingis seemed pretty chill about it, saying he wasn’t worried and was just being cautious by stepping out. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla gave an encouraging update on Wednesday, noting that the injury remains day-to-day.

“He got through practice well, looked pretty good,” Mazzulla said. “We’ll see how he is (Thursday), see how he responds to it. But I thought he looked good today.” 

It’s a good sign that Kristaps Porzingis was able to go through practice, so it looks like he’ll be ready for Thursday. But if he’s not, the C’s will turn to their big-man depth, just like they did earlier this season.

With his injury-prone past, it makes sense that the Boston side is being extra cautious about the heel issue from the Wizards game. They need KP healthy for the playoffs, so no need to rush him back for the regular season. It’s all about that bigger picture, isn’t it?

Who’s on the Celtics Injury Report along with Kristaps Porzingis?

Sam Hauser’s status for Thursday’s game against the Bulls is questionable because of lower back spasms, adding a new twist after he just bounced back from a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Xavier Tillman is also questionable with a non-COVID illness.

We won’t know more about Tillman’s availability until closer to the 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff on Thursday. With Al Horford back in action, Tillman would likely take a backseat role, battling for backup center minutes alongside Neemias Queta and Luke Kornet. It’s a tough spot for him, but we’ll see how it plays out.

Let us look at what the C’s depth chart looks like…

The Celtics have been absolutely crushing it lately, snagging five wins out of their last six games. It’s safe to say they’re one of the NBA’s hottest teams right now. Offensively, they’re a powerhouse, ranking 3rd in scoring with an impressive 119.9 points per game. However, they do fall short in shooting efficiency, coming in 19th for field goals (45.8%) and 13th for three-point shooting (37.2%).

On defense, though, they’re looking just as strong. They’ve locked opponents down, ranking seventh in points allowed per game (109.8) and showing strong numbers in both field goal defense (9th, 46.1%) and three-point defense (8th, 35%). With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way, expect the reigning champs to be unstoppable when they’re back at home.