While it’s only been seven games into Kristaps Porzingis’ Celtics tenure, the early returns have been exactly what the team hoped when they added the talented big man. He’s averaging 20.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and he’s added a different element to the Celtics offense because of his skillset.
Still, it’s important to remember the C’s are only seven games into the regular season. So there’s still plenty of time to mesh with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, which Porzingis himself admitted after their 106-103 loss to the Sixers.
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“It’s gonna take time,” Porzingis said. “But honestly we do have a lot of good moments, a lot of good moments where we find each other, where we hit each other with some good passes and start to reach each other more and more.”
The Celtics have enjoyed the advantages they’ve gotten from having Porzingis on the team. His ability to stretch the floor allows for more space for Tatum and Brown. The big man’s post-up skills also allow him to exploit smaller defenders whenever they’ve been switched onto him. While the C’s have hit a snag in their offense compared to their five-game start, Porzingis’ addition has been a plus.
The C’s offense is also posting up more as they’ve elected to lean into some of their strengths. But it’s a different look at that side of the ball, so there are going to be adjustments for the entire team. The early returns have been promising, too, as the Celtics still have a top-10 offensive rating in the league.
C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said, despite the loss, to the Sixers that he thought it was still one of their better-executed games from early in the season. It’s a sign of the times as the C’s aren’t overreacting over a road loss to a strong Sixers team this early in the season. And the Celtics are still a work-in-progress as they incorporate pieces like Porzingis and Jrue Holiday into the fold.
“It’s early, beginning of the season,” Porzingis said. “It’s honestly easy to play with those guys, very selfless. Now being up close I really feel that and see that from them. So, they just want to win. They want to do the right thing, and that makes it easy for everybody.”
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