Another setback in Golden State highlights the availability concerns Boston couldn’t ignore.
There’s a version of this story that Celtics (47-24) fans have seen before.
It usually starts the same way, too.
Kristaps Porzingis looks like he’s turning a corner.
The flashes are there - the shot-making, the size, the unique matchup problems. You start to see the ceiling again.
And then, just as quickly, the momentum disappears.
That cycle played out again Friday night.
Now with the Golden State Warriors (33-38), Porzingis exited their loss to the Detroit Pistons (52-19) with lower back spasms after playing just 11 minutes.
He never returned.
The injury, by his own admission, had been brewing.
“I kind of started feeling it from the first quarter,” Porzingis told the media postgame. “Started spasming out a bit. While I was warm, I was okay, but on that one play, I kind of felt a little spasm there.”
And just like that, another interruption.
The timing is almost the most telling part.
This came just days after Porzingis had begun to feel like himself again, saying, “Now I’m healthy, and now I’m actually feeling good. I’m getting a real good feeling about basketball again.”
He had finally strung together a few games, his minutes were climbing, and there was optimism about what he could be down the stretch.
Then reality hit. Again.
For the Celtics, this is exactly why the decision to move on in the summer of 2025 continues to age well.
Because as tantalizing as Porzingis can be when he’s right, the question has never been about talent. It’s always been about availability.
And for a team with championship expectations, availability isn’t a secondary concern. It’s the whole equation.
Boston didn’t just trade a player. They removed uncertainty.
This current Celtics group has built its identity on reliability, depth, and the ability to withstand stretches of the season without losing its structure.
You see it in the way they’ve weathered injuries elsewhere. You see it in how seamlessly pieces fit together.
That’s not accidental.
Porzingis, at his best, can raise a ceiling. But if that version only shows up in short bursts - if every ramp-up is followed by another setback - it becomes impossible to build anything stable around it.
And that’s the lesson here.
It’s not about what Porzingis can be.
It’s about how often he actually is.
Mar 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis (7) talks with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) after the game at TD Garden. (David Butler II/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.