Kristaps Porziņģis Makes the Celtics Terrifying

While the Jrue Holiday trade may have been the splashier, more dramatic move, it was Kristaps Porziņģis who looked like the Celtics’ most important offseason

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The Celtics held on against a gritty Knicks team for a 108–104 season-opening win. Porziņģis shined, finishing with 30 points,

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eight rebounds and four blocks, the most points ever in a player’s Celtics debut. Going against the team that drafted him

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and hearing it from the fans—Porziņģis was a problem early and late, coming out of the gate with 15 points in the first quarter

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It’s going to be really hard to defend the Celtics when Porziņģis is on the floor. His height and three-point shooting prowess

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paid quick dividends against New York. KP hit five of his nine threes Wednesday, and almost all of them came off very

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basic actions. Two came from simply spacing the floor off a driver, four came off pick-and-pops, and two were the result

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doubles on Jayson Tatum in the post. (One was a bailout late in the shot clock, which Porziņģis banked in.)

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This is the beauty of the Celtics’ five-out attack. They have players who can put pressure on the rim in one-on-one matchups

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