BRIGHTON — Eight years ago, Kristaps Porziņģis’ first NBA welcome was less than warm. The Latvian big man was famously met with a chorus of boos when the New York Knicks selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Although the 7′ 3″ big man did not wilter in the bright lights, Porziņģis didn’t last in The Mecca. After two stops in obscurity, languishing in the immense shadow Luka Doncic casts in Dallas and then a layover with the fruitless Washington Wizards, the 2018 NBA All-Star was once again in the spotlight Thursday, under the microscope of a fanbase once again expecting greatness.
He told reporters gathered at the Auerbach Center, it’s a position he’s happy to be in again.
“Got drafted to one of the biggest stages, if not the biggest. It prepared me for anything. Now getting traded to Boston, it made me realize how much I missed being in a big stage,” said Porzingis. “Dallas was great and Washington was great also but I feel like this is a different level of excitement in just how good the team is. I think New York helped me tremendously growing up and being prepared for almost any situation you can be in in the NBA.”
Porziņģis had a career year with Washington last year, averaging 23.2 points per game. Porziņģis brings an array of outside shooting and a paint presence that should give the Celtics’ frontcourt a scoring punch it lacked last year. But first and foremost Porziņģis’ know he is here to accentuate the talents of 2022-2023 All-NBA selections Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“I want to come here to make life easier for those guys. With my skill set and my talent, I can take some pressure off of those guys. I come here to try and make this team better. I’m excited to play with such high-level guys that have been there from year to year. I think it can be a great combination.”
Head coach Joe Mazzulla said that fitting Porziņģis alongside the others will be a “balancing act.”
“I think those guys have gotten better in their careers of playing together and playing as a team,” said Mazzulla. ‘With Kristaps coming in, he’s just a piece that we can implement in our system and our identity.”
The acquisition of Porziņģis came at a cost. As part of the three-team swap, Marcus Smart, the then-longest tenured Celtic, was shipped to Memphis. Smart’s departure leaves a sizable hole on the court and in the locker room.
But Mazzulla believes it’s a void Porziņģis will already help fill.
“[Smart] was a very important piece to the locker room, to the city. And I think a strength of his was the ability to have an impact on and off the floor. That’ll be missed but at the same time, we’re bringing in Kristaps who from a personality standpoint brings a lot of the same characteristics. He works hard on the court but carries himself really well off the floor.”
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