BROOKLYN — Kristaps Porzingis looked ready to check in. During nearly every timeout of Wednesday night’s game between the Celtics and the Nets, the 7’2 center gravitated toward the nearest basket, sometimes pantomiming a shooting motion, other times quickly grabbing the game ball and getting up a shot.
During game play, Porzingis was as locked in as anyone on the bench — chatting with Neemias Queta after one up-and-down stint on the floor, and uplifting Derrick White when he began the game with 3 turnovers in the first 4 minutes of the game.
Porzingis — who has missed the entire season thus far recovering from surgery to repair a torn left posterior tibialis tendon — has been traveling with the team all year. At Barclays Center on Wednesday night, he appeared to have an extra pep in his step — one that pointed to his potential proximity to returning.
Porzingis was the first Celtics player up to celebrate every made basket, and the first to rush over to players who checked out the game, sharing feedback and pointers. Early on, when the Celtics trailed by double-digits, he went over to each player in the game to give them words of encouragement.
Jaylen Brown, who recorded 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Celtics’ 139-114 win over the Nets, agreed that Porzingis’ engagement stood out.
“Tonight, he was very verbal,” Brown said. “He was in his coaching bag, giving guys what he was seeing out there. That’s a good sign. That’s a good signal that he’s getting close. He’s getting ready. His mind, his spirit is out there with us. We can’t wait to welcome him back.”
Joe Mazzulla appreciates the fact that his All-Star center has been so intentional about staying connected to the team all season. It’s certainly not always the case that a star who misses extended time travels with the team and goes through their everyday routine — but Porzingis has made sure to do so since the beginning of his recovery.
“It’s important — especially for a guy that’s not playing — to be as engaged as he is,” Mazzulla said. “It makes it easier, as he starts to come back, to just plug him right in, because he’s been here the whole time. That’s a commitment. It’s hard to sit there day-in and day-out to do that.”
Payton Pritchard, who had yet another massive game off the bench with 23 points and 8 assists, also highlighted the impact of Porzingis’s energy in his postgame media availability.
“We love KP. We can’t wait for him to get back,” Pritchard said. “He’s an unbelievable player, an unbelievable teammate, a great person in the locker room — his positivity is contagious.”
Kristaps Porzingis could be just a few weeks away from being cleared for game action. He underwent surgery in June, and resumed on-court activities in August. Mazzulla said Wednesday he’s made “good progress” as he inches toward a return from injury.
“The Celtics are targeting December from what I’m told for Kristaps Porzingis and his return,” said ESPN insider Shams Charania during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
They’ll be conservative in their approach to his return. But so far, all signs point to Porzingis’s recovery having gone smoothly — maybe even better than the Celtics expected.
“I don’t know that we’re interested in putting a timeline on him because the injury is unique. But as far as how he feels and the progress that he’s made, I’d say we’re very, very pleased with where he is,” Brad Stevens said on Media Day in October. “Maybe a little surprised.”
In the meantime, as he continues to rehabilitate, the big man is hard to miss — enthusiastically greeting fans both at home and on the road, active and expressive on the bench, rigorous in his pregame shooting.
The Celtics are 10-3 without him this season, outscoring opponents by 10.8 points per game — the fourth-highest mark in the league. They’ve benefited from a breakout campaign by Neemias Queta, who has averaged 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.8 minute per night this season, and continued solid play from Luke Kornet.
Their rim protection, however, has been inconsistent, and Porzingis, one of the top rim protectors in the league, should provide a massive boost on that end.
But — while he waits for his complete medical clearance — he’s impacting the team as best he can.
“We definitely miss him,” Pritchard said. “But, we love having him be there and be vocal on the bench.”
