Boston Celtics player grades as regular season winds down
By Kyle Collis
Kristaps Porziņģis - A
The biggest concern when the Celtics traded for Kristaps Porziņģis was whether he could stay healthy. He was coming off a season with the Washington Wizards where he played 65 games, his most since 2016-17. Well, he’s played 42 out of 57 games, which is a nice ratio up to this point.
In this time, Porziņģis has completely unlocked the Celtics offensively. Teams can’t account for Tatum and Brown without getting burned by Porziņģis. He creates room on the floor due to his shooting ability, creates mismatches through the pick and roll, all while being an effective post defender and shot blocker.
If the Celtics were wondering what more they could do to maximize this team's potential, Porziņģis answered that and probably eliminated the question entirely. It was clear from the first game of the regular season against the New York Knicks that this was going to be a great fit. Now, Porziņģis has an argument for being the second most important player on the team.