Celtics Rumors: Kristaps Porzingis Return Date Set — For Monday Night

Getting Kristaps Porzingis back by Christmas was going to be a win for the Celtics, and it appears Boston is getting a very early holiday gift.

Porzingis will make his season debut Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday, citing sources. As Charania notes, Porzingis is back roughly five months after undergoing offseason foot surgery.

It’s a major move for the defending champions who have largely handled their business this season. It hasn’t been an especially dominant performance for the Celtics to this point, but Boston will surely take 14-3 to start the season — with or without Porzingis. Getting the big man back obviously adds an element to an already dangerous C’s team.

It will be interesting to see how much Porzingis can do to start. He missed most of the playoff run in the spring with the lower-body injury, but he did return for the NBA Finals. Porzingis was sensational in a Game 1 win and was solid in a 23-minute performance in the second game. He sat out the middle games before returning in the clincher, scoring five points and grabbing a rebound in the Game 5 win.

Shortly after the Celtics secured their 18th championship, Porzingis went under the knife to repair a rare ankle injury. The original prognosis was a five- to six-month absence. With Porzingis set to return Monday night, he’ll even beat that five-month timeline by a couple of days.