The Boston Celtics came up two wins shy of their 18th title in 2022 and they came up one win shy of reaching the NBA Finals in back-to-back years this past season. They are undoubtedly one of the better teams in the league right now, and the Celtics are only going to improve with Kristaps Porzingis set to be the team's key No. 3 scoring option alongside All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

However, having Porzingis available and ready to play is no guarantee, as the Latvian big man has had trouble remaining healthy through the years. Last season ended up being Porzingis' best in a long time, as he played in over 60 games for the first time since the 2016-17 season, and he averaged a career-high 23.2 points per game and 49.8 percent from the floor. He still missed 17 games due to injury, which is one of the reasons why Celtics fans were skeptical about their team acquiring him this offseason.

While preparing for the FIBA World Cup this month with his home country of Latvia, there was some speculation that Porzingis was dealing with a foot injury that could keep him out of the tournament altogether. Sure enough, Porzingis announced on Tuesday that he would not be playing for Latvia in the World Cup due to plantar fasciitis he is dealing with in his right foot. On Wednesday, the Celtics made an official statement regarding their star big man, claiming he will engage in a four-to-six-week rehab program leading up to training camp.

The 2023-24 season has not even started yet and the Celtics are already having to deal with injury concerns to Porzingis, which does not bode well for them moving forward.

This three-team trade Boston made with the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies was a big risk for multiple reasons. Not only are the concerns surrounding Porzingis relevant, but the Celtics gave up Marcus Smart, the player who had been the heart and soul of this franchise ever since he was drafted by Boston in 2014.

The Celtics obviously have other talents in their backcourt such as Derrick White and 2022-23 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to replace Smart's production, but Porzingis already dealing with plantar fasciitis in the offseason is not good news for this franchise looking ahead to the start of the new season.

While his ailment does not seem too severe right now, everybody reacts differently to this type of injury and it can be tricky to mend. Just last offseason, Philadelphia 76ers MVP Joel Embiid dealt with a similar problem and he ended up entering the 2022-23 season behind in his conditioning. As things stand with Porzingis and the Celtics right now, the team is expecting him to be available and ready to go for the start of training camp.

Being ready to go for camp and potentially the start of the season does not necessarily mean that Porzingis will be in the clear of this injury. His foot injury is absolutely a “yellow flag” for the Celtics and the team will have to monitor this all season long because it could flare up at any time, forcing the big man to miss weeks of action.

The underlining concern pertaining to the Celtics and this injury to Porzingis is the fact that they have already invested a lot in him. Should he be forced to miss time throughout the 2023-24 season due to foot problems, Boston will be in the same position they were these last few seasons, where Tatum and Brown are their only sources of offensive production.

When the Celtics traded for the Latvian big man, he had just one more year left on his contract at $36 million for the 2023-24 season. Upon arrival, Boston gave him a two-year, $60 million extension, so he is now under contract with the team through the 2025-26 season. No disrespect to Porzingis, as he is a great player, but he has not even played a game with this team yet and his availability has always been a problem.

By agreeing to terms on this new extension this offseason, the organization has increased the risk associated with its newly acquired talent. There really was no rush to sign Porzingis to an extension, which is why it is surprising to see the team take on such a risk, given his extensive injury history.

Maybe this is truly no major injury for Porzingis and he will be absolutely fine following the next four-to-six weeks he spends nurturing and rehabbing this injury. From the team's perspective, though, the Celtics have to play things cautiously and make sure he is 100 percent ready to go before putting him on the court.

Porzingis can never seem to stay healthy over the course of an entire season and this new plantar fasciitis injury he is dealing with does not present a lot of optimism that he will be perfectly healthy to begin the new season.