Despite only attempting four shots in Friday night’s 121-107 win over the Brooklyn Nets, Kristaps Porzingis made his presence felt.
Porzingis is mostly known for his dynamic offensive game and ability to knock down a shot from anywhere on the floor. However, we are quickly finding out that the 7-foot-3 big man’s presence on the defensive end may be overlooked.
Though he didn’t necessarily stuff the stat sheet, Porzingis was one of the best players on the court Friday night because of his work on the defensive end. Porzingis’ size and length made things difficult for Brooklyn, on both the perimeter and the interior.
On the night, the Nets shot a combined 7-of-18 (38.8%) and had two turnovers, with Porzingis as the primary defender. Porzingis also had a block.
The seven-year vet ranked among the best pick-and-roll defenders in the NBA a season ago and has found early success in Boston’s frequent use of drop coverage.
Despite the early success in Boston’s defensive scheme, he is still adjusting to the change.
“There’s many differences,” Porzingis said when discussing the biggest adjustments he is working on defensively following Boston’s loss to the Philidelphia 76ers earlier this week. “Many different things, and names, and all of that, but I think the biggest adjustment I have to make is to kinda rewire myself to be back even more in drop coverage and make sure I protect the rim even more.”
Can the bench find consistency scoring?
Boston’s bench struggles have been a common discussion point early in the season, especially the slow start from Payton Pritchard. Boston’s bench responded in a big way in Friday night’s win over the Nets, pouring in 37 points, snagging 21 rebounds, and dishing out five assists.
Twelve of Boston’s 17 offensive rebounds came from the bench, with six coming courtesy of Luke Kornet, who stepped up big in the absence of Al Horford.
“It’s easy to look at the scoring on the bench and say, ‘they’re not producing,’ but there’s so much other stuff they do for us on a daily basis,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said following Friday night’s win. “Our defense has been tremendous with them on the floor, and tonight, we got to see the other side of that.”
“Those guys are going to be good for us, and I never lose confidence in them because of the work they put in,” Mazzulla said.
Mazzulla is right. Boston’s bench has done a great job in other areas. The Celtics’ second unit ranks first in offensive rebounds per game (6.3) and has posted a defensive rating of 55.7, good for 14th in the league.
However, there are going to be times when the Celtics will need their bench to step up and provide scoring to win a game. In order to do that, they will need to find consistent scoring.
One player to look at in that department is Al Horford. The 37-year-old is still adjusting to his new bench role and may not be necessarily known as a scorer, but has proven he can be an effective scorer in the NBA.
While some bench help in the future (specifically in the front court) is probably still on Brad Stevens’ radar, Boston’s bench has enough scoring options right now. It just depends on the consistency.
Jordan Walsh shines in Maine debut
The Celtics’ lone selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, Jordan Walsh, made his debut with the Maine Celtics on Friday night. The 19-year-old who was selected 38th overall, finished the night with 18 points on 7-of-14 (50%) shooting from the field, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Walsh, a 6-foot-7 forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, spent just one season with the Arkansas Razorbacks, developing a reputation as a terrific defender.
Walsh figures to spend most of the season developing in Maine, so it’ll be interesting to keep tabs on his process.
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