According to Brian Windhorst of The Hoop Collective podcast, scouts were not impressed with the way Kristaps Porzingis looked at EuroBasket, and if that’s true, then the Boston Celtics may have gotten out at the right time. Though they didn’t trade him for much, they still managed to get off his salary, and despite some solid stat lines, it doesn’t seem like basketball professionals thought highly of his showing this summer.
“Scouts were not blown away by the way Kristaps Porzingis looked,” Windhorst said. “They felt he looked—not the sort of impact player they’re used to seeing. He admitted that while he feels better than he did in the spring, he’s still got a way to go. He’s not back to the full health that he was at.”
If that’s true, the Celtics could be in a good spot.
Did Celtics sell on Kristaps Porzingis at right time?
Obviously, Porzingis didn’t play very well in the postseason last year. However, a lot of that was due to the illness he was dealing with, and he was supposedly feeling better at EuroBasket. Yet, he still didn’t play up to scouts’ standards.
Porzingis’ performance in the playoffs had some Celtics fans ready to move on, but the reality is, the Latvian center was probably always going to be on the move, regardless.
Boston was always going to have to shed significant salary this summer in an attempt to duck the second apron (which they have done so successfully, if their finances stay in place as they are right now).
The Celtics traded Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Georges Niang and draft capital, but Niang wasn’t on the team for long. Just a few weeks after he joined Boston, Niang was subsequently flipped to the Utah Jazz in a deal that brought back RJ Luis Jr. to the Celtics.
All in all, getting back a rookie two-way player for Porzingis isn’t amazing value, but perhaps that doesn’t matter. Scouts don’t think that Porzingis is the same player he once was.
What if last postseason was the beginning of some regression for the big man? Obviously, he’s struggled with injury issues for his entire career, but what if his illness had the unfortunate side effect of starting the downturn of his career?
Maybe EuroBasket was a sign of what Porzingis could look like in the coming years. And if the scouts are correct, then the Celtics may have gotten out of the Porzingis business at the best possible time.