The Boston Celtics boast arguably the deepest roster in the NBA. They have three-level scorers at every position, along with multiple high-level playmakers. And everyone in the playoff rotation can guard their yard. As such, the Celtics are an unpredictable opponent. On any given night, a different roster member can step up and have a game-defining performance.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday (June 6), Kristaps Porzingis came up big. The veteran big man was returning from over a month on the sidelines with a right soleus strain. He checked in off the Celtics bench and produced a game-changing performance on both sides of the floor. During his postgame news conference, Porzingis’ performance led Jaylen Brown to praise Boston’s strength in depth.
“In any given night it could be any of us,” Brown said. “And Kristaps had a monster game for us and just his presence shooting the ball and then him being able to attack those switches and mismatches, he made them pay every time, and that’s what we need going forward in the series. Kristaps was big, but those other guys, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, JT, they all can get going at any point in time, so that’s the beauty of our team.”
The Celtics likely hope their plethora of offensive options will continue producing in the coming weeks. Boston is just three wins away from being crowned as NBA Champions.
Why Kristaps Porzingis is the most important part of the Boston Celtics' offense https://t.co/HqnjfzaO5x pic.twitter.com/1dpgahaebd
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 30, 2024
The Celtics added Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis during the summer. Brad Stevens likely envisioned Boston’s need for additional offense during the postseason. Now, those two moves are paying dividends. And they could help end the team’s 16-year championship drought.
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