Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis says he wants to come back sooner than projected as he ramps up recovery

Both Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis and team president Brad Stevens have expressed optimism about how the 29-year-old’s ankle is recovering from surgery.

Porzingis had surgery in late June, following the Celtics’ championship run. At the time, the Celtics announced that he’d be out for five to six months. If he sticks to that timeline, he’ll return in late December or in January, but it sounds like Porzingis would prefer not to wait that long. 

“The expectation is sometime in December,” Porzingis told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in a story published Tuesday. “But I’m feeling really good and I’m working towards hopefully playing earlier than that.”

At media day on Tuesday, Porzingis told reporters that he has been “doing a good amount of stuff” and is hoping to “be back out there with the guys as soon as possible.” He described himself as “optimistic as always” about his recovery, as he was able to run and take some contact over the weekend.

“I think I’ve started the next stage now as I got here,” Porzingis said in a separate interview with NBC Sports Boston on Tuesday. “Started running, had some light contact stuff. Played some, like, 1-on-1. I felt really good. I felt really good and the most important is I felt really good the next day, too. So yeah, looking forward to ramping up even more.”

Porzingis told reporters that he’s “going to be more than 100% ready for each step” of his return-to-play protocol, which he admittedly would like to speed up.

“Obviously the energy I’m feeling from the doctor, the surgeon, the medical staff is not to rush anything,” he said. “But for myself, obviously if you ask me and I had to do my own protocol, I would probably go quicker. But that’s a good sign. I’m feeling really good. My ankle’s feeling really, really good.”

Stevens told ESPN that Porzingis’ injury is “unique enough that we won’t rush anything. But I would say that if we have a timeline in our head, we’re very, very encouraged by where he is.” And during his availability at media day, his message was similar.

“Kristaps obviously had the surgery that was well documented after the year and seems to be recovering well,” Stevens told reporters. “He’s very optimistic. I don’t know that we’re interested in putting a timeline on him because the injury is unique. But as far as how he feels and the progress that he’s made, I’d say we’re very, very pleased with where he is and maybe a little surprised.”

Porzingis’ combination of rim protection, deep shooting range and the ability to punish switches was an enormous boost for Boston last season. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, returning from a calf injury that he’d suffered in Game 4 of the first round, Porzingis played the most important — and perhaps most impressive — minutes of his career, drilling jumpers and blocking shots as soon as he checked in off the bench. He hurt his ankle in Game 2, though, tearing his medial retinaculum, a rare injury that required surgery. Before the surgery, though, he returned to play 16 minutes in Game 5, which turned out to be the clincher.

With Porzingis out, the Celtics will have the luxury of starting Al Horford at center at the beginning of the season. Boston will not be solely relying on the 38-year-old, however, as it retained backups Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman in the offseason.