Without touching his Jaylen Brown – Jayson Tatum pair, Boston managed to recover Kristaps Porzingiseven if it was still necessary to separate from Marcus Smart and Danilo Gallinari in the operation.
The Latvian first saw the first version of the trade fall apart, before he facilitated the second version of the trade and his departure for Boston by activating his “player option” at $36 million for 2023/24. The first night was grueling, but the end result was well worth it!
“It’s been a crazy day for me,” did he declare yesterday alongside his new coach, Joe Mazzulla, and Celtics president, Brad Stevens. “I was about to go to bed, but I saw the news about the trade that didn’t happen, which kept me up a little longer. But at 4am, back home, I thought I’d go to sleep and see what happened. When I woke up in the morning, I saw that it had happened, that the exchange had taken place. I was very enthusiastic and very happy”.
A new dimension for the Celtics offense
In Boston, Kristaps Porzingis will find himself in the best workforce he has been given to attend since his arrival in the NBA. For the first time in his career, he has all the cards in hand to make a merry way in the playoffs, he who has never won a series after having struggled a lot during his previous experiences, whether in Knicks, Mavs or Wizards.
“It was an opportunity to play for a very good team and to be able to add something to it”he summarized. “Hopefully I can help these guys, make their lives easier, and being in a top organization like Boston, a historic franchise, an iconic franchise, that made my decision (to activate his player option) extremely easy to take (…). I want to come here to make life easier for these guys. I hope that with my qualities and my talent, I can take some pressure off them. And that’s all. I come here to try to make this team better. And I’m delighted to play with such high-level players, who are competitive year after year and who already have experience. I think it’s a good combination.”
Same story for Joe Mazzulla who will be able to add a complete interior player to his Al Horford – Rob Williams doublet or who will be able to use Kristaps Porzingis as a pivot with Jayson Tatum as a strong winger. The options are numerous and can evolve according to the oppositions. On both sides, there is cause for optimism.
“It will be about how he can relieve Al Horford and Rob Williams, how we can play with two greats, how we can continue to use Kristaps in the same way Al did and how we can be better. It is obvious that with his ability to evolve elsewhere than at the post, it will relieve our players and give another dimension to our attack.underlined Joe Mazzulla.
Ready for the challenge of his life in the NBA
If he has struggled so far, in terms of results and repeated injuries which have made him somewhat lose the explosiveness of his debut, Kristaps Porzingis still felt that he had matured through these stages and feels ready for what looks like the challenge of his life as an NBA player, after failing to be Luka Doncic’s lieutenant in Dallas.
So many failures that helped him grasp what he could really do, to get closer to his best level.
“I think these are the best years for a basketball player”he continued, when he will celebrate his 28th birthday in early August. “You are physically there, and mentally you reach a different level. I think the work paid off for me. I looked at my game, looked to be more efficient and really analyzed myself, and it paid off last season, with all the work I did off the pitch to stay healthy. My body is maturing, while I still have great years of high level ahead of me.
| Kristaps Porzingis | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2015-16 | NYK | 72 | 28 | 42.1 | 33.3 | 83.8 | 1.8 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 14.3 |
| 2016-17 | NYK | 66 | 33 | 45.0 | 35.7 | 78.6 | 1.7 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 1.5 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 18.1 |
| 2017-18 | NYK | 48 | 32 | 43.9 | 39.5 | 79.3 | 1.3 | 5.3 | 6.6 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 22.7 |
| 2019-20 | DAL | 57 | 32 | 42.7 | 35.2 | 79.9 | 1.8 | 7.7 | 9.5 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 20.4 |
| 2020-21 | DAL | 43 | 31 | 47.6 | 37.6 | 85.5 | 1.9 | 7.0 | 8.9 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 20.1 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 51 | 29 | 45.9 | 31.0 | 86.7 | 2.0 | 6.1 | 8.1 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 20.2 |
| 2021-22 * | DAL | 34 | 30 | 45.1 | 28.3 | 86.5 | 1.9 | 5.8 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 19.2 |
| 2021-22 * | WAS | 17 | 28 | 47.5 | 36.7 | 87.1 | 2.2 | 6.6 | 8.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 22.1 |
| 2022-23 | WAS | 65 | 33 | 49.8 | 38.5 | 85.1 | 1.8 | 6.7 | 8.4 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 23.2 |
| Total | 402 | 31 | 45.3 | 35.9 | 82.7 | 1.8 | 6.2 | 8.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 19.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
