Getty Kristaps Porzingis had plenty of reasons for joining the Boston Celtics.
Playing with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would be intriguing for any NBA player. Playing alongside arguably the league’s best duo certainly helped entice Kristaps Porzingis to join the Boston Celtics this offseason.
While that tandem played a role in securing Porzingis’ talents in Boston, the 7-foot-3 center recently revealed it was another combination that was the icing on the cake.
Kristaps Porzingis Reveals 2 Key Factors That Helped Bring Him to Boston
Porzingis recently sat down with former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick on Redick’s “Old Man & the Three” podcast.
While they spoke about many aspects of Porzingis’ nine-year NBA career, they spoke about his decision to come to Boston this offseason.
“My understanding is your exit from Washington was definitely a trade, but it was a little bit of free agency as well, where you had a couple of deals on the table, and you would get traded and sign an extension,” Redick said. “You took less money to come here. What was it about this opportunity and Boston that made you want to do that?”
Porzingis said the opportunity to win a championship was there and “I knew my game would fit well with JT and JB and the guys that were here.”
Redick pointed out that Porzingis had the best year of his career last season with the Washington Wizards, but nobody paid any attention. He asked Porzingis how much that factored in his decision to play for a top-notch franchise in a huge media market.
That’s when Porzingis explained that playing under the bright lights and playing for a championship contender were his biggest reasons for coming to Boston.
“I got a taste of it when I was in New York,” Porzingis said. “That was one of the biggest stages you can play on, and I enjoy that so much. Honestly, it was more about being on a team where I could actually win. Winning was more important than about being in the biggest market, but if you can combine those two, that’s even better.”
Porzingis Says He Feels No Pressure in Boston
The Celtics are picked by several sportsbooks to win the NBA title, something they haven’t done since 2008. Two seasons ago, they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Last year, they fell apart as heavy favorites at home in Game 7 of the conference finals against the Miami Heat.
With two high-price All-NBA players in Tatum and Brown now surrounded by the key additions of Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, there’s more pressure than ever to bring home a championship in Boston.
Porzingis doesn’t feel the heat.
“That’s what I wanted,” he said. “I wanted the challenge. My last year in Dallas — the year before I got traded — I didn’t have the best playoff series. We got kicked out of the first round. Now, I’m like, OK, i have to prove to everybody that I can play on a playoff team or a championship-caliber team, and remind everybody that that can happen, but here I am. Just the idea of that challenge was like, this is what I want.”
Although he’s missed the last four games with a calf strain, Porzingis has proven to be a force in the middle, leading the team in blocks with 25. He’s also putting up 18.9 points per game.
Numbers, however, don’t matter to Porzingis. He’s just happy to be playing for a title contender under the bright lights of Boston.