Getty Jayson Tatum
Kristaps Porzingis left an impression during his preseason debut with the Boston Celtics. In 24 minutes of action, Porzingis scored 17 points on five-for-seven shooting while shooting two-for-three from distance against the Philadelphia 76ers.
During his postgame press conference, Porzingis singled out Jayson Tatum while talking about how easy is for him to play with Tatum in a two-man game.
“It’s super easy, honestly,” Porzingis said on October 9, per CLNS Media Boston’s Sports Network’s YouTube Channel. “Those guys are so talented. Jayson draws so much attention that it opens things up for me, and that’s a perfect scenario for me. So I’m looking forward to more of those two-man, three-man-actions where it’s really hard to guard because we don’t even know what we’re gonna do. We’re freestyling it and playing off of each other. So it has to be pretty impossible for the other team to understand what’s gonna happen.”
Besides Jaylen Brown, Tatum has played with some talented scorers with the Celtics. Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and Malcolm Brogdon could score 20 points on any given night. However, they haven’t played with a center as offensively polished as Porzingis is the first big Tatum and Brown have had that can score from anywhere inside and outside the arc, and he showed how impactful his skillset could be for them and the Celtics as a whole.
Kristaps Porzingis Lauds Celtics’ Fans Passion
During his postgame interview, Porzingis applauded Celtics fans for their passion during a preseason game, which he says he’s never seen before.
“The atmosphere here for a preseason game was something that I haven’t experienced in the NBA, and it’s incredible,” Porzingis said while talking with ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth.
Porzingis also talked about his comfort levels playing with Tatum and Brown thus far since coming to Boston.
“Playing alongside those guys, it makes life easier for me. We just play off of each other. I feel like we still have a lot of chemistry to build, but it was already a good first game, and we look forward to keep building.”
Porzingis’ debut in the preseason debut may count for absolutely nothing, but he left as good of a first impression as the Celtics could have imagined.
Kristaps Porzingis Passed on Bigger Role to Join Celtics
On Celtics Media Day on October 2, Porzingis revealed that he could have had a bigger role while being paid more elsewhere this offseason but explained why he chose to go to the Celtics instead.
“I had different opportunities to go somewhere else and maybe have a bigger role or even make more money but I wanted to come here.”
Kristaps Porziņģis talks wanting to play for the Celtics ☘️
“That’s what matters is winning. I had different opportunities to go somewhere else and maybe have a bigger role and maybe even make more money, but I wanted to come here. I wanted to come to Boston just because of the opportunity to play in such an iconic organization with great players that are already here that are very close and hopefully, I can come in here and bring more to that. The idea of that itself, I didn’t need to hear anything else. Now that I’m here, it’s an incredible feeling,” Porzingis said while talking with NBC Sports Boston.
Porzingis is saying all the right things for Boston right now and has started his tenure on the right foot. While his talent is undeniable, he has to prove he can endure an entire season playing for a contender.