The Boston Celtics had a frustrating speed bump to overcome tonight! Luckily, it remained a small one. Kristaps Porzingis, the team’s secret weapon, has had a tough time dealing with injuries. This season, the hoopster made a delayed debut a week ago, recovering from an ankle injury. While he was still on injury management, tonight, the 29-year-old left the Green Army in a jarring situation, prompting an injury scare, after heading to the locker room.

The C’s hosted the Grizzlies at the TD Garden in an exciting match-up for the fans, as they took on Marcus Smart in an unfamiliar blue jersey. Things went well until Kristaps Porzingis rolled his ankle at the late end of the second quarter and exited the floor.

Luckily, the injury wasn’t anything serious, as he returned to the floor at the start of the third quarter. So, Porzingis rolled his left ankle, the same one on which he had surgery, in an offensive play and checked out with 1:35 remaining. He managed to return on time without affecting the game much. However, the fans had already vented their frustration during the halftime. Let’s take a look.

Amid Kristaps Porzingis’ injury, frightened fans blow off some steam

Injuries aren’t new in the NBA. Every year fans come across one or the other devastating news during the season. However, this season is something different. We keep getting injury shockers daily. Capturing the buzz in the NBA world, a fan wrote, “The whole NBA needs to be investigated at this point.” Well, we aren’t sure about an investigation, but every franchise’s medical staff will be working overtime this season.

Hours before KP’s update, the Magic, who already lost Paolo Banchero with a torn oblique, announced that Franz Wagner sustained the same injury and sidelined him indefinitely. Truly, it’s a tough season for the teams and fans.

On the other end, some Celtics fans seemed more frustrated than concerned about Porzingis’ injury. A fan wrote, “Dude is made of glass,” highlighting the star’s constant injuries.

Apart from the delayed debut to this season, Kristaps Porzingis had missed a big stretch for the C’s. Especially in the 2024 postseason, he sustained a non-contact ankle injury, which was dubbed as “rare” at the time, and kept him out of action until the Finals series.

Building on that, another fan wrote, “Wasn’t this the concern when they acquired him?” Well, the star had injury concerns before his stint with the Celts.

With the NY Knicks in 2018, KP sustained a torn ACL, leaving him out of action for the rest of the season. It also ultimately pushed him to the Dallas Mavericks. Notably, he played 72 games in his rookie season, which is his highest so far. Since then he hasn’t played more than 66 games in a season. Without a doubt, this conversation only leads in one direction and a fan predicted it, writing, “Pack.” 

While Porzingis’ injury hasn’t really bothered the C’s, they literally cruised through the 2024 postseason without him. However, the team is required to look for options beyond him. Especially with the increasing competition in the West, Boston might face a lethal opponent in the Finals, if they run it back.

Addressing that, a loyal fan wrote, “We need to trade for someone who’s healthy. Porzingis just isn’t the guy for a contending roster.” So, who do you think can replace Kristaps Porzingis in the Celtics frontcourt? Let us know in the comments below.