105.3 The Fan's Bryan Broaddus, a former Super Bowl-winning scout in the NFL, reached out to two current NFL trainers to get more information about the injury Porzingis sustained, and both don't believe the center will be able to play through what they described as a "rare injury."
"I talked to two different trainers and they don't think he's going to play," Broaddus said Tuesday on the K&C Masterpiece. "[The trainer said] 'This is a rare injury. To be honest with you, I've never seen one. The tendon could be a real issue, though. Height might make it even harder for him.'
"I asked, 'Can you play through [this],' and [one trainer] said, "I doubt it, but I don't know the guy."
Dr. Jesse Morse, a sports physician who tends to weigh in on injuries to professional athletes on X, described what happened to Porzingis, and said the big man could play through the injury, but added "there is a significant risk of re-injury" and doing further damage.
David J. Chao, or as he's known on X as "Pro Football Doc," also weighed in on the injury, and was less optimistic about Porzingis' chances of playing.
"I've dealt with this injury before, and it's not good news, especially for a basketball player, Chao says. "At this point, we fully expect Kristaps Porzingis to miss the rest of the Finals."
Chao says Porzingis could post up and shoot a three but the medical professional doesn't see him "being a defensive force, rim protector, or being able to move around effectively."
Chao added that Porzingis will ultimately need to undergo surgery to repair the injury.
The Celtics released a statement earlier Tuesday regarding Porzingis' injury and listed the center as "day-to-day."
“Celtics Center Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum, allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg at 3:27 of the third quarter of Game 2. The injury is unrelated to Porzingis’s prior right calf injury. After consultation with numerous specialists regarding this rare injury, his availability for upcoming games will be determined day-to-day.”
When describing his injury Tuesday, Porzingis frequently used the word “random.”
“It’s kind of a random situation,” Porzingis said. “I felt something, and now I have to deal with it. As we said, it’s going to be day-to-day, and I’ll see how I am tomorrow, and obviously, I’m going to do everything I can to be out there tomorrow, and we’ll see.”
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about Porzingis before the team's practice Tuesday and said that his status for Game 3 and the rest of the Finals will be left up to the team's medical staff.
“I mean, listen, he’s doing anything and everything he can to be ready for the game tomorrow. It’s a serious injury. At the end of the day, our team and the medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations,” Mazzulla said. “We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands because the importance of him. He’s going to do everything can he to play. We’re going to leave it up to our medical team. That’s really it.”
The GBag Nation and K&C Masterpiece discussed how Porzingis' potential absence could help the Mavericks get back into the series.