Kristaps Porzingis is back. Well, sort of.
The Celtics have been awaiting the return of the big man acquired in a preseason trade with the Wizards. The center provided his usual standout play over his first 57 games of the season but has not played since April 29 due to a calf injury.
Porzingis has missed almost the entire postseason with the injury, and he's had some extra time off after the Celtics swept the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The return of the former Maverick against his old team in the NBA Finals has been highly anticipated, particularly with Dallas boasting a pair of standout big men of its own that will require star defenders. So why isn't Porzingis back in the lineup?
Here's what you need to know.
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Why is Kristaps Porzingis coming off the bench?
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has not yet given an official explanation as to why Porzingis is not in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Veteran Al Horford instead drew the nod at center.
It's still not hard to understand why the Celtics are being patient with his return. The NBA Finals will stretch out over the course of nearly three weeks if it goes the full seven games. Even if it lasts only four games, it would be just eight days. In other words, Porzingis will have more than enough time to continue to get healthier.
Porzingis has not played in a game since April 29, when he logged just 14 minutes against the Heat.
By allowing Porzginis to come off the bench, the Celtics will be keeping an eye on his usage and doing their best to ensure he doesn't re-aggravate the calf injury.
MORE: Why Celtics need a healthy Kristaps Porzingis to beat Mavericks
How many times has Kristaps Porzingis come off the bench?
Porzingis is not used to coming off the bench. He has only come off the bench once in his career between the regular season and the playoff. That came back on Jan. 19, 2017, when he was coming off missing three games due to a sore Achilles.
In that return, playing against the Wizards, Porzingis scored 15 points and played 29 minutes.
