Why isn’t Kristaps Porzingis playing for the Celtics against the Wizards tonight, 24 November?

The Boston Celtics got their title defence off to a flying start at the TD Garden on Tuesday night and were too strong for the Knicks running out with a comfortable 132-109 win.

The next port of call for Joe Mazzulla’s men is a trip to the capital as they take on the Washington Wizards on Thursday night at the Capital One Arena and once again will be without their Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis.

Long term absence expected

Last June Porzingis underwent surgery to repair foot and ankle issues which plagued him during the Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Latvian star initially missed 10 consecutive games during the postseason because of a calf injury suffered in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round win over the Miami Heat. Porzingis returned for the first two games of the Finals, was forced to sit out Games 3 and 4 due to a new injury, but then played through the pain barrier for 16 minutes as the Celtics clinched a record 18th NBA Championship in Game 5.

That, however, came at a cost, with it later being disclosed by the Celtics that the center had suffered a “torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon,” an incredibly rare injury which affects the tendons in the foot.

December return anticipated

The Latvian player recently revealed to ESPN that all is going well with his rehabilitation process and he was optimistic of making a return to the Celtics’ lineup sometime in December. This would be earlier than initially forecast with the general recovery period for his injury cited at six months.