AUERBACH CENTER — On Celtics Media Day, Brad Stevens revealed that two Celtics’ rotation bigs — Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman — had surgery over the offseason.
Kornet had wrist surgery at the conclusion of the season, while Tillman had a knee scope at the end of July. Both should be good to go, Stevens confirmed, with no known limitations.
Kristaps Porzingis, meanwhile, is recovering well, though there’s no timeline for his return.
“He’s very optimistic,” Stevens said. “I don’t know that we’re interested in putting a timeline on it, because the injury is unique. But as far as how he feels and the progress that he’s made, we’re very, very pleased with where he is — maybe a little surprised.”
Still, with Porzingis out for the start of the season, the health and availability of Kornet and Tillman become even more important. Both back-up bigs will likely play bigger minutes in the wake of their star center’s recovery, with 38-year-old Al Horford also likely to shoulder a bigger load.
“Those timelines matched up well with the start of the season, obviously, with some big depth issues potentially,” Stevens said. “So, we’re fortunate.”
Last season, Kornet averaged 5.3 minutes and 4.1 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game, while Tillman averaged 4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.
Neither Kornet nor Tillman’s surgeries had previously been reported, but it sounds like neither is a particularly substantial development.
“I’m really encouraged by the health of our team,” Stevens said.
Brad Stevens on bringing back the same team from last season:
“Generally, I would say I wouldn’t mind a tweak or two, just because I think that those things can galvanize you… I think that these guys are galvanized by each other.” pic.twitter.com/ejy6GYYc4y
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) September 24, 2024
Neemias Queta should also be in the mix to augment back-up big minutes. As a two-way player last season, the Portuguese big man averaged 5.5 points in 11.9 minutes per game, in 28 appearances. All three players — Kornet, Tillman, and Queta — re-signed with the Celtics on minimum deals this summer.
The Celtics returned nearly the entirety of last year’s championship roster, with the exception of Oshae Brissett (free agent) and Svi Mykhailiuk (signed with Utah). Stevens said generally speaking, it can be galvanizing to tweak a roster and bring in some new additions.
But in the Celtics case, they wanted to run it back with the same cast as much as possible.
“I think these guys are galvanized by each other,” Stevens said.
