Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis Finally Poses True Threat to 76ers

Kristaps Porzingis' first set of action on the Boston Celtics against the Sixers went as well as they had hoped.

The Boston Celtics might’ve ended their 2023 playoff run on a low note, coming up short against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals while being the defending Conference Champions, but they didn’t walk into the offseason with a run-it-back mentality.

Not one, but two big moves were made by the Celtics’ front office. Granted, they lost some key players from last season’s run, including Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon, and Marcus Smart, but the Celtics are more top-heavy with the additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

Both players made their Celtics debut on Sunday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both showed flashes of what was to come. And while the Latvian center Porzingis might’ve been productive in his previous role with the Washington Wizards, he hasn’t posed much of a threat to the 76ers until now.

The Sixers are no strangers to Porzingis, who got his career started with the New York Knicks. However, during his previous two runs with Eastern Conference teams, he wasn’t necessarily going to war with championship contenders. 

During his three seasons with the Knicks, Porzingis failed to make the playoffs each time. While he gained postseason experience with the Dallas Mavericks in 2020 and 2021, Porzingis’ two runs back in the East with the Wizards didn’t result in any playoff runs either. 

The Celtics, who have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals over the last two seasons, expect to be right back in title contention this upcoming season, and Porzingis proved during his 24-minute shift on Sunday night that he could end up being a monster addition for the Cs.

As the Sixers got off to a hot start, thanks to Tyrese Maxey’s aggressiveness on the offensive end of the floor, Porzingis kept his team afloat, scoring seven points by knocking down all of his shots from the field, including a three during the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Porzingis joined Jayson Tatum in putting together a near-40-point quarter for the Celtics to take a small lead at halftime. Once again, Porzingis was perfect from the field, and generated four of his six additional points from the charity stripe.

It wasn’t until the second half when Porzingis missed his first shot. He proved he’s human by going 1-3 from the field and turning the ball over three times in nine minutes coming out of the half before checking out for the remainder of the night.

When he checked out, Porzingis felt the love from Boston, who brought playoff energy to the preseason opener to welcome their new additions.

“It was insane,” Porzingis told reporters after the game via Boston Sports Journal. “That was insane for a preseason game. I don't know what to say. It's a fun game to play in, a fun game to watch at the end when Payton was going off, and the whole crowd was into it. It was just … I'm very happy to be a Celtic, I'm not gonna lie.”

Porzingis’ Celtics preseason debut ended with 17 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one block. His impact on the floor was clear as day. 

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Granted, the Sixers were shorthanded, missing their most notable player in Joel Embiid, who’s often a force on the defensive end against players of Porzingis’ stature, but with luck in the health department and growth in chemistry, the Celtics are unlikely to take any steps back in the East this year.

“That was a good start we had there,” said Porzingis. “It felt good that that was our first kind of official game together, and I think it’s a good first step to keep building our chemistry.”