Kristaps Porzingis to have surgery, miss Olympic qualifying tournament

Kristaps Porzingis is set to undergo ankle surgery in the coming days, sidelining him for Latvia’s Olympic qualifying tournament.

The Celtics released the following statement on Tuesday:

“Celtics Center Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 9th. This injury always requires surgical repair. Porzingis had hoped to delay surgery until after both the NBA Finals and Latvia’s Olympic campaign, but the injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition. Surgery will be performed in the coming days, and further updates will be provided when available.”

The injury forced Porzingis to miss Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Despite being available for Game 4, he did not play. In the Game 5 closeout, Porzingis played 16 minutes, finishing with five points and one rebound.

“Kristaps is still in the middle of consulting with some different doctors and specialists. But we anticipate surgery soon,” Brad Stevens said. “We’ll have more of an update for the timeline and recovery after the surgery.”

The procedure is expected to sideline Porzingis for several months, putting his availability for the start of training camp in question.