NOBODY Could Have Predicted THIS From Kristaps Porzingis

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Watch Porzingis on this possession. First, he follows the mismatch up top and is ready to help on the drive. His length makes this lob challenging so Brunson passes out. Meanwhile you see Kristaps fighting under the basket. This shot was so bad that it actually went over his head to Robinson, but still, Porzingis keeps fighting and comes up with a huge block.
The Celtics had him down low like a defensive anchor which was possible because of New York’s non shooting big men. He doesn’t bite on the pump fake, stays patient and gets another block.
And similar thing right here with the positioning, but watch what he does on the drive. This is very subtle but just stretching out his arm and feeling where Robinson is, Kristaps is guarding against the lob, and follows Randle at the same time in a perfect defensive position for yet another block.
Porzingis had 4 blocks against the Knicks, with this probably being the best one against Barrett on the fast break.
But just as valuable as those blocks are possessions like these where he forced a ton of misses by New York right at the rim.
He was quick defensively and with his length he can really contest these shots as he was the main reason why the
Knicks shot just 33.3% at the rim in the first half, while league average for last season was 64.2%. That’s an astonishingly big impact.
All of that is amazing of course but this was a revenge game against his old team because of the offense.
30 points and 8 rebounds on 53.3% from the field and 5-9 from downtown.
Watch the quickness here from the high pick to the roll, Brown with the nice pass, and there’s no stopping this.
Same thing on this play, noticing that Robinson is caught up in the action outside, so he cuts like a guard along the baseline, we got the lob and the jam.
And because Kristaps is so fast for a big man when he slips the pick, if he can stay around the 38.5% that he shot last year from downtown, this is going to be a deadly combination for Boston.
You see that most of these looks are generated by the attention that the main guys attract on them. That includes situations when he sets a pick for them and pops free for a shot.
Meaning that Porzingis doesn’t have to do too much for Boston. Just simple actions, read and react to the opposing defense.
This is a great opportunity for him, but also a phenomenal piece for the Celtics.
You get a guy who is a career 20 point per game scorer and a big presence in the paint defensively.
You get all that to be your third or even 4th best player on some nights.
The Celtics are absolutely stacked and for Porzingis he’ll finally have a chance to make a deeper playoff run after getting bounced in the first round in his only 2 appearances in 2020 and 2021, both times by the Clippers.
Let me know in the comments what do you think about this pairing. And subscribe for more breakdown videos. Talk to you in the next one. Peace out.