🚨EXCLUSIVE 🚨: Porziņģis Shines in Celtics Debut! Dominant Performance with Tatum and Brown Ignites
Life appears to be going quite well for Kristaps Porziņģis early in his Boston Celtics tenure.
Porziņģis finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Sunday’s preseason-opening win over the Philadelphia 76ers, calling playing in an offense with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown “super easy.”
“It’s just super easy, honestly. Those guys are so talented. Jayson just draws so much attention that it opens things up. That’s a perfect scenario for me,” Porziņģis told reporters after the game.
Porziņģis came to Boston via an offseason trade from the Washington Wizards and almost immediately signed a two-year, $60 million extension. His arrival came as part of a larger roster overhaul around Tatum and Brown that was cemented by the team’s acquisition of Jrue Holiday earlier this month.
The Celtics now have four All-Star-caliber players in Tatum, Brown, Porziņģis and Holiday and have been locked in as +380 co-favorites to win the NBA championship at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Porziņģis has played with All-Stars like Bradley Beal and Luka Dončić in the past, but the Tatum-Brown-Holiday trio is far superior on the defensive side and should allow Porziņģis to serve mostly as a rim protector rather than chasing on the perimeter.
On offense, having four players who can find a bucket at any time should open things up for all parties. Holiday’s acquisition, in particular, will give Boston a lead ball handler it has desperately needed in the playoffs.