A broad smile and a relaxed posture. This is how it appears Kristaps Porzingis in front of journalists to his press conference at the start of the season, with the Celtics jersey on his shoulders.
After New York, Dallas and Washington, the Latvian giant arrives in Boston in a team much more ambitious than those with which he has played so far. “ It’s very motivating, very exciting, of course, but it’s also a big responsibility », he sums up about the title aspirations of his new team, recently reinforced by the arrival of Jrue Holiday.
“ We all know what our goal is, and we don’t want to have that in mind. As the coach said (Joe Mazzulla) during our first meeting, we must adopt this way of living day to day. We have to work and in the end, if we work hard enough, we will get results. You have to focus on everyday life and keep this main goal in mind », Stares the interior, who only has two short experiences in the playoffs, with the Mavs, behind him.
Aiming for the title means keeping a group in good health until the end. However, barely arriving in Massachusetts, Kristaps Porzingis injured his foot. This injury, which pushed Brad Stevens to speak out to reassure local fans, deprived him of the World Cup with his surprising national selection.
A complementary game from the Celtics stars
“ The smartest decision was for me to stay on the bench and make sure my foot recovered before starting the season, and that’s what I did. It was a difficult decision to make. I know it may seem trivial, but it was huge for me not to be able to play for my country at the World Cup. It really hurt my heart “, testifies the 28-year-old player who, after “ this difficult decision », assures today to be “ 100% » for this NBA recovery.
After playing alongside some big names in this league (Carmelo Anthony, Luka Doncic, Bradley Beal), the giant will now team up with a duo of young stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. While he sees it as only a matter of time before they find their rhythm, he believes his game will “ complete ” their. “ I’m going to try to open doors for them, I know that’s what will make my game easier “, he says confidently.
These openings will be generated in particular by the quality of his post game. During his time with the Wizards, Kristaps Porzingis climbed among the most productive and efficient players in the league in this register. We imagine the Celtics relying on this interior option to free up even more space for the team’s shooters.
“ When I was in Dallas, I looked at my stats and the number of situations in the position, the situations I found myself in, I analyzed and I realized that I had to improve. […] I looked at what I was doing less well, what I was doing better, and I continued to work and develop my game. Last season was a good example and, as the year went on, I think I have gained in efficiency. So I can’t wait to reproduce this here », finishes the Latvian.
