The Boston Celtics have unexplored terrain ahead of them. Throughout the entire regular season, the Celts ramped through their games with a dominant run, without being affected by injury troubles. However, last night, Kristaps Porzingis sustained a non-contact injury, late in Game 4. During the second quarter, suddenly held on to his right calf, limped off the court, and didn’t return for the rest of the game.

Hours later, the official update revealed that the star center sustained a right calf soleus strain. It was the same injury that Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained ahead of the First Round. And, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar is yet to return to the floor. Jessee Morse, a sports Physician revealed that the star might take up to 2-6 weeks to recover.

On April 9th, the Bucks took on the Celtics in a regular season game. During the second half, Giannis sustained a non-contact injury and walked off the court. Later he was diagnosed with a left calf soleus strain. Since then, he has missed 7 games, and four of them were playoff games against the Indiana Pacers. The superstar’s absence has definitely impacted the Bucks, as they have gone 3-1 down in the series.

On the other hand, the Celtics have played 25 games without Kristaps Porzingis in the regular season. The 7 ‘2 star sustained various injuries, including quad, hamstring, calf, knee, ankle, and eye. However, during his absence, the Celts have a 21-4 record. While the star’s absence hasn’t affected the team much in the regular season, it could have the necessary impact on the playoffs.

The Miami Heat has played their first round without their star player, Jimmy Butler. He made all the difference in the last playoff. Even without him, the Heat managed to win Game 2 triumphantly. If the Celts go in without their star center, things could take a turn for the Heat.

Kristaps Porzingis playoff stats and the Celts’ possible replacement

The Celts are 3-1 up in the series with an upper hand to seal the series at their home, TD Garden. But, the only question that looms over the Celts fans is the Porzingis effect. Despite his tall stature, the star has a sharp shooting skills and nailing three-pointers. On the other end of the court, he has an impressive defensive game with 1.9 blocks and 0.7 steals per game.

Moreover, Porzingis has a huge influence on the Celts’ defense rating. Whenever he was on the court, the team had a defense rating of 109.4 per 100 possessions and 112.9 without him on the court. It clearly makes the Celts’ defense a little vulnerable without him.

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On the offensive end, Porzingis has a playoff average of 15 points per game and this postseason, he has managed to put up 12 points per game with a high score of 18 points. As per the Celtics’ depth, Al Horford would ideally replace the star in the center position. Horford has so far averaged 8 points per game in his 26-minute stay.

Will Al Horford make the same impact that Porzingis made on the team? Let us know in the comments.