Kristaps Porzingis is more than a catch-and-shoot big man. Here’s what to know about the newest Celtic

Kristaps Porzingis is more than a catch-and-shoot big man. Here’s what to know about the newest Celtic.



By Conor Ryan Boston.com Staff,Updated June 22, 2023, 2 hours ago



The Celtics are adding a top talent to their frontcourt.

The Celtics are finalizing a deal and acquiring forward Kristaps Porzingis from the Wizards in a three-team swap also featuring the Grizzlies.

Longtime Celtics guard Marcus Smart will be traded to Memphis, with the Grizzlies’ Tyus Jones and Boston’s Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala heading to Washington. Boston also nets two first-round picks with the move.


The Celtics had a midnight deadline to land Kristaps Porzingis. In a stunning shift, they dealt Marcus Smart away to make it happen.

Brad Stevens decided running it back wasn’t the move, so the Celtics struck first and acquired Kristaps Porzingis


Porzingis is an intriguing addition given his size (7-feet-3-inches) and unique skillset, but there are some question marks surrounding Boston’s new trade pickup.

Here are five things to know about Porzingis, his role in Boston and the fallout from a seismic swap across the NBA.


Porzingis is coming off the best season of his career.

Taken fourth overall by the Knicks during the 2015 NBA Draft, Porzingis burst onto the scene in New York and impressed with his unique blend of size and skill.

But the Latvian-born Porzingis put together his best campaign as a pro last year with the Wizards.


Appearing in 65 games, the 27-year-old Porzingis averaged 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 38.5 percent from the 3-point line.

Porzingis puzzled defenses early in his career due to his ability to sink both mid-range jumpers and shots beyond the arc, but he has continued to round out his post game and defensive capabilities since landing in Washington back in February 2022.

Porzingis’s ability to both space the floor and defend the rim makes him a unique asset and a much-needed addition to a Celtics frontcourt in need of reinforcements behind 37-year-old Al Horford and an injury-plagued Robert Williams.


Porzingis is more than just a catch-and-shoot big man.

Given Joe Mazzulla’s creed of living and dying by the 3-point shot, it comes as no surprise that Boston would value a 7-foot-3 behemoth who is more than capable of sinking shots from beyond the arc.

But Porzingis is more than just a catch-and-shoot big man who inflates his scoring totals by cleaning up the glass.


The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor put together a great breakdown of Porzingis’s varied offensive arsenal of moves last season, highlighting his strides both in the post and attacking the basket off the dribble.

Porzingis ranked fourth in the NBA last year in points scored per closeout from 2-point range at 1.23. In previous years, the big man likely would have settled for contested jumpers that can usually result in low-percentage looks.

But with the Wizards, he routinely switched things up when pressured, attacking off the bounce and generating high-percentage chances by way of dunks and layups after cutting to the rim.

Porzingis’s shooting ability will keep opposing defenses on their toes and fits in with Boston’s offensive strategy.

But his ability to score in the post gives Boston a much-needed element up front, especially when contrasted to a big man like Robert Williams, who does most of his offensive damage off of dunks and transition plays.

Last year, Porzingis ranked first in the NBA in points per post-up at 1.29.

The next three players? Nikola Jokic (1.26), Luka Doncic (1.15), and Joel Embiid (1.10). Pretty good company to be in.

Porzingis’s passing ability in the post should also open up more high-danger looks for players like Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and whoever else is paired in the frontcourt with him.


Porzingis’ defense gives Boston plenty of options.

Defensively, O’Connor noted that Porzingis can still be exposed at times on switches. But he was also one of the best pick-and-roll defenders last season, ranking fourth in the league in points allowed per pick-and-roll at 0.93.


Only Anthony Davis (0.91), Steven Adams (0.92), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (0.92) ranked higher in that same category.

The Celtics’ reliance on 3-point shooting might have served as their Achilles’ heel in 2022-23. But their dip in defensive intensity also hampered their chances of gutting through tight playoff contests.

Porzingis may not have the well-rounded defensive toolkit that players like Antetokounmpo or Jaren Jackson Jr. boast, but his strengths on the defensive side of the ball should give Boston more options and schemes at their disposal as they look to reassert themselves as a defense-first club.

Granted, such an objective is easier said than done when Boston’s top defender in Marcus Smart was the piece needed to complete this three-team trade.


Porzingis has had issues staying on the court.

On paper, there’s a lot to like about this trade for the Celtics, even if Boston has to move on from a key cog in its rotation in Smart.

If Porzingis is on the court for Boston, he gives Boston a missing element in the post on offense and during pick-and-roll plays on defense.

The issue, of course, is whether or not Porzingis can actually remain on the court with Boston.

Even though he played in 65 games with Washington last season, that marked the most games the forward has logged in a single season since his 2016-17 campaign with the Knicks.

Along with missing the entire 2018-19 season due to a torn ACL, Porzingis has missed 25 games or more in four of the seven NBA seasons he has played.


Given both Horford’s age and Robert Williams’s own injury issues, Boston’s frontcourt could be in deep trouble next year if Porzingis also lands on the shelf for an extended stretch.


Celtics have some difficult (but intriguing) financial decisions ahead with Porzingis’s contract.

With a new CBA set to drop the hammer on a number of high-spending teams next season, the Celtics essentially have one more season to open their wallets in search of that elusive title.

Porzingis’s decision to opt into the $36 million in the final season of his deal gives Boston a short-term window to assess the next steps for the franchise. If Boston sticks to keeping Porzingis on an expiring deal, the team can still contend for a title in 2023-24 while tabling a potential extension for next summer.

Even if Porzingis walks as a result, Boston then sheds a significant amount of cap space in time for the next CBA to start squeezing teams (and a potential supermax contract for Jaylen Brown to kick in.)


Bob


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Good to know, gyso, good to know!!

db

The Celtics had to upgrade their frontcourt.  It had to be done.

AH averaged 31 MPG during the playoffs and his drop off was startling.  He only averaged 6.7 PPG.

Al just turned 37 and seems like a good fit as a back up center.

The last time the Celtics had a scoring big man was when KG was playing for us.  

Adding Porzingis really changes the way the Celtics can play.

He can shoot over anybody and that makes him pretty special.

We have had various positional configurations of a big 3's.

The newly assembled version is similar to the one Danny put together in 2007.  A big and 2 wings.  

Brad has a tweak or 2 to make to the roster.  i think Sam Hauser (16 mpg and 45.5% from distance) could probably play 20 MPG.  PP should be see more floor time with Smart gone.

The Celtics offense should be top shelf and probably better than it was last year.

How the defense plays is really the only question that I have.