The Boston Celtics made headlines earlier this offseason when they finalized a three-team trade, giving up former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards. A former All-Star who is one of the tallest players in the league, Boston views Porzingis as the missing link in their frontcourt, especially with Al Horford getting older and Robert Williams III dealing with knee issues all of last season.

On the cusp of reaching the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season last year, the Celtics have consistently proven that they are one of the best teams in the league and Porzingis' arrival gives them yet another high-level offensive talent to pair with All-NBA performers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

However, Porzingis has had trouble remaining on the court through the years due to various injuries. The 65 games he played in last season with Washington were the most he has played in since the 2016-17 season and already, the newly acquire big man has Boston fans worried because of his latest injury.

While he was supposed to play for Latvia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup later this month, that will not longer be the case due to Porzingis dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. On Wednesday, the Celtics gave an official update on the former All-Star, stating that he will engage in a four-to-six-week rehab program with the expectation of being ready for training camp at the end of September.

This is certainly not what the Celtics and their fans had in mind when the team acquired Porzingis earlier this summer, especially since they gave up Smart to acquire him. Plantar fasciitis can be a very tricky injury for any athlete to deal with, especially taller basketball players like Porzingis.

It is a minor injury that can heal with rest, but it can also have lingering effects, like discomfort, for months. Reigning league MVP Joel Embiid dealt with this same injury last offseason, which limited his conditioning and overall abilities entering the year.

The Celtics are hoping that this will not be the case for Porzingis, especially since he has just over two months to prepare for the start of the 2023-24 season.

With the Wizards last season, Porzingis ended up having arguably the best season of his career, averaging 23.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range. Boston is hopeful that with him healthy alongside Tatum and Brown, they can get back to the NBA Finals and claim their 18th championship in franchise history, which would be a new NBA record.