Even though he may not be on the court with the Boston Celtics at the start of the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season, star Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is still held in high regard by analysts of the league. And perhaps nowhere more than in the top 100 players list put together by the folks over at CBS Sports, which has put the Latvian big man at No. 40 in the league.
And while the overall list may omit Porzingis’ frontcourt teammate Al Horford, it has the Liepaja native as the lowest ranked starter on the roster Boston’s returned from their 2023-24 title campaign. “Porzingis found himself in a perfect situation with the Celtics,” writes CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish. “He wasn’t expected to save a franchise like he was with the (New York) Knicks.”
“He didn’t need to be the perfect No. 2 option like in Dallas (with the Mavericks),” adds the CBS Sports analyst. “And he wasn’t collecting empty stats on a 35-win team like he was with the (Washington) Wizards. It wouldn’t be earth-shattering news if he missed games due to injury in Boston.”
“But when he was healthy, oh boy was he the ultimate weapon,” suggests Wimbush. “He’s still a feared rim protector, can knock down 3s at an efficient clip, is a great pick-and-roll partner, and will make smaller defenders pay in mismatch situations.”
“Porzingis had his most efficient year scoring the ball despite the second-fewest shot attempts per game in his career, and despite missing most of Boston’s playoff games, he managed to still make a massive impact when called upon in the finals.”
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
