The Boston Celtics added one of the most skilled centers in the NBA to their roster this week with the addition of Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards.
The acquisition came at a price, though, including veteran point guard Marcus Smart, who was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies in the three-team trade with the Wizards.
But it's a gamble worth taking for the Celtics.
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Porzingis' all-around skill set should help him make a seamless transition to Boston's lineup. He's a very versatile player who can score in just about any way imaginable. He averaged a career-high 23.2 points per game and shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range last season. And at 7-foot-3, he's an imposing figure in the paint who can block shots.
"You've heard me talk about our, you know, playing big, playing long. Kristaps can play with any combination of our players," Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a press conference Thursday night after the 2023 NBA Draft. "He can play with Rob (Williams), he can play with Al (Horford), he can play as a standalone five. He has just gotten better and better and better.
"And you see what he was doing this year, and I thought in the games that we played against him, in the games that I watched with the most intent against other teams, I thought he just had really taken another step, too. He was already good, but he just took another step. And he can play defensively the way we want to. He is a deterrent at the rim. And he's a super-skilled basketball player."
It's been a while since the Celtics had a center like Porzingis who can dominate opponents on the low block with a variety of post moves. Adding that element to the offense is quite valuable and should help the C's whenever the 3-point shots aren't falling.
"We didn't post a ton this year, but to be able to throw the ball in the post and just shoot over a switch, and do it so efficiently and effectively is a big deal -- let alone being able to play behind the line, shoot the ball, drive it, or those types of things," Stevens said. "So, you know, he brings a lot to our team. You can envision, as I can envision, kind of some of the lineups we can put out there size-wise right now -- pretty intriguing. And without dropping any skill at all. So that's a good thing."
The primary concern with Porzingis is of course whether he can stay healthy. Injuries forced him to miss 17 games last season, 31 games in 2021-22 and 29 games in 2020-21. But if Porzingis is consistently healthy, this trade has the potential to significantly improve the Celtics at both ends of the floor.
