With his consistent performances, Kristaps Porzingis might be Boston Celtics’ key to winning a championship. The 7-foot-3 inches Center possesses massive talents and skills. Porzingis has been a part of multiple teams in his career but has not been a perfect fit for any of them.
He is obviously a very different kind of defender—a natural rim protector. After repeating the feat in 2019–20 and last season, he is the only player in the 44 seasons of the 3-point line to average at least two 3-pointers and at least 1.5 blocks in consecutive seasons. In what appears to be good news for the Celtics, Porzingis and Jaylen Brown are developing a good chemistry on and off the court.
Kristaps Porzingis talks on connection with Jaylen Brown
Jaylen Brown is the teammate who has been impacted the most by Kristaps Porzingis’s arrival. Brown’s impact as a facilitator is increased by having a seven-foot-three center who punishes switches and is a knockdown shooter. This player makes reads out of the pick-and-roll that are simple to make.
“I tell KP all the time, ‘I’m going to you early; I’m looking for you early,'” Brown told Inside The Celtics earlier this season. “Get him feeling well because we need him on defense, too, as well as offense. He’s important to everything that we got going over here. So, I’m going to make sure to get him going,” he added.
The Boston Celtics’ victory over the New York Knicks on opening night demonstrated how well the two have clicked right away. Their remarkable chemistry is already paying off in the most important situations.
Their 119-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on provided two more examples of their cohesiveness and the development of this on-court partnership. This game could serve as a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals.
“It’s great,” Brown said after registering a team-high 26 points, eight assists, leading all participants, and only one turnover in the win.
“And we’re still early — only what, 15 or so games in, not even. And I think we’re still building chemistry, still just developing. We talk to each other. I don’t know what it is; it’s just like an automatic connection right now. As soon as KP got here, as soon as he got to Boston, it was just a connection automatically. So, I’m looking forward to just getting better and growing.”
Latest on Kristaps Porzingis’ return from injury
On November 24, while playing the Orlando Magic in the NBA In-Season Tournament, Porzingis experienced tightness in his left calf. The center for the Celtics played just 22 minutes and did not play again.
Given Porzingis’ history of injuries, this caused a great deal of anxiety among the supporters. It appears that the big man won’t be gone for very long, though.
In Boston’s most recent game against the Chicago Bulls, Porzingis was asked to participate in a brief interview by the announcers at the start of the second quarter. He assured everyone that his wound was ‘not life-threatening’. He expects to return either by the following Friday game against the Philadelphia 76ers or by the following Tuesday or Thursday games against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What are your thoughts on the growing chemistry between Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.
