Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Kristaps Porzingis' availability is a growing concern for the Celtics

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Mar 6, 2025 4:52 PM ET

Since joining the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2023, Kristaps Porzingis has proved himself to be a vital part of Joe Mazzulla's rotation. The veteran big man is a legitimate ceiling raiser for the reigning champions.

When healthy, Porzingis' floor spacing and rim-protection complete the Celtics' puzzle. They're a borderline unstoppable force when everything is clicking, and the ball is moving around. Unfortunately for the Celtics, Porzingis' availability is becoming an increasing concern.

Porzingis has missed Boston's last three games. He's also scheduled to miss the team's upcoming contest against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, March 6, due to illness.

However, Thursday's game will be the 68th contest the All-Star center has missed since joining the Celtics. That means he's missed a whopping 41% of Boston's contests since arriving with the franchise.

Tonight will be the 68th game that Kristaps Porzingis has missed since the start of the 2023-24 season - this includes the playoffs.

That means Porzingis has missed 41% of the Celtics totals games since joining the franchise (68-of-164) pic.twitter.com/dWVfemWzX7
— Adam Taylor (@AdamTaylorNBA) March 6, 2025

With the postseason rapidly approaching, Porzingis needs to get back on the court. His inconsistent playing time this season means that he's still finding his rhythm. Nevertheless, the Celtics need their star big man at his best if they're going to stand a chance of retaining their title.

Of course, Boston's injury concerns aren't limited to Porzingis. Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser have both been struggling throughout the season. However, neither Holiday nor Hauser raise the Celtics' ceiling in the same way Porzingis does.

Porzingis missed 12 of the Celtics' 19 playoff games last season. Since then, the NBA has caught up. The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are legitimate threats in the Eastern Conference. There are also multiple threats out West, too. Porzingis must get healthy in the coming weeks. If not, the Celtics' chances of going back-to-back will take a major hit, and he could find himself being floated in trade rumors over the summer.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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