MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas has one less problem to think about as Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis sits out the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Latvia.

The Celtics on Tuesday, June 25, said Porzingis will undergo surgery for his left leg injury that he sustained in the recent NBA Finals, keeping him out for the OQT that will be staged in Riga, Latvia, from July 2 to 7.

Porzingis suffered a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, missed Games 3 and 4, before he returned in Game 5 to help the Celtics finish off the Dallas Mavericks for the title.

According to the Celtics, Porzingis initially wanted to delay the operation until after the Latvians’ bid for the Paris Games, but the injury “does not allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition.”

Even without Porzingis, though, Latvia stands as a favorite in the OQT, being the highest-ranked team among the six squads competing in the leg as the world No. 6.

Latvia is bunched with world No. 23 Georgia and No. 37 Philippines in Group A.

Meanwhile, world No. 12 Brazil, No. 17 Montenegro, and No. 68 Cameroon make up Group B, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the crossover semifinals.

Latvia has shown it can still thrive without the 7-foot-2 big man as it finished fifth in the previous FIBA World Cup, losing by only one possession to eventual champion Germany in the quarterfinals. – Rappler.com

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