NBA
Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis could miss the FIBA World Cup due to a foot injury
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated10 Aug 2023
This offseason, the Boston Celtics were involved in a three-team deal to acquire big man Kristaps Porzingis. To acquire the one-time all-star they had to trade fan favorite Marcus Smart. It wasn’t an easy move for their front office, but Boston is desperate to get over the hump. A number of players this summer are competing in the FIBA World Cup for their home country. Porzingis was set to play for the Latvian national team but might sit out with a foot injury.
Ahead of the World Cup starting at the end of this month, teams are playing tune-up games to prepare. So far, the Latvian national team has played two exhibition games so far. Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t participated in either of those contests. Rupert Fabig of the Hamburger Abendblatt said that Boston and the Latvian men’s basketball program will wait until the last minute to decide his status.
If the Celtics are serious about being contenders in the East this season, not letting Porzingis play is likely the best move. They don’t want to risk the chance of hurting Porzingis even further. There are still a few weeks until a final decision has to be made.
Kristaps Porzingis is reportedly dealing with a foot issue and may miss the World Cup, per @rupertfabig pic.twitter.com/zFnL29V7qx
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 9, 2023
Will the Celtics play it safe and keep Krisptaps Porzingis from playing in the FIBA World Cup?
When the Celtics traded for Kristaps Porzingis, they also signed him to a two-year, $60 million extension. His 65 games played with the Wizards in 2022-23 was his highest game total since 2016-17. Durability is something that the 28-year-old has had to be cautious of his whole career. Not everyone on the court is seven-foot-three and can move like Porzingis can.
Another reason Boston could be playing it safe is due to injury history with their player in the past related to the World Cup. Last summer, Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL while playing for the Italian National Team in a FIBA World Cup Qualifier. Gallinari missed the entire 2022-23 season and the Celtics would be crushed to see the same happen to Porzingis.
It’s fair for Celtics fans to be worried about this situation. Injuries are something Porzingis has struggled with in the past. The fact that it’s happening before training camp is concerning. If they want him to be in full health for the 2023-24 season. keeping him out of the 2023 FIBA World Cup is the play.
