Injuries always seem to loom large for the Boston Celtics, but ahead of the 2023-24 season, there's plenty of good news.
According to Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, the C's should be fully healthy for next week's training camp. That includes reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, who suffered an elbow injury in last year's playoffs, and recently acquired center Kristaps Porzingis, who was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.
“Everybody's in Boston, everybody's healthy, knock on wood,” Stevens told The Boston Globe. “If everybody gets through the rest of the week, we should be full next Tuesday when we start practice. We're excited about that.”
A healthy Celtics squad has been a rarity as of late. Whether it was Danilo Gallinari's torn ACL before last season tipped off or Robert Williams' constant rehabbing, the C's couldn't catch much of a break from a health perspective in 2022-23. Hopefully, this season will be different.
Things are already looking up, though, as Brogdon reportedly worked through his injury all summer and is good to go—even without surgery. And while the 30-year-old could still be uneasy about the fact Boston was hours away from trading him this offseason, he's on speaking terms with the organization, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
“[Brad] Stevens… acknowledged that Brogdon was upset about nearly being traded to the Clippers in July, but the sides have had conversations over the past few weeks,” Washburn wrote.
As for Porzingis, the newest Celtics star could be ready for his debut when the Green Team's 2023-24 campaign tips off on October 25th. Ironically, that first game would be against the New York Knicks, the team that drafted Porzingis back in 2015.
While the 2018 All-Star sat out the FIBA World Cup due to a foot injury, Stevens claimed that he'll participate in training camp. If so, Boston will get to introduce its three-headed monster in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Porzingis to the rest of the league on opening night.