With just over three-and-a-half minutes left in a 12-point game at TD Garden, Kristaps Porzingis drew a shooting foul in the paint and marched behind the hoop to raise his arms in the air like a star in the next Gladiator sequel before the roar of fans. He went to the line to further secure Boston’s lead over Detroit.
Yes, they were entertained.
Porzingis breathed life into a mostly ho-hum game against the Pistons sans star Jayson Tatum, and showcased the two attributes that make him important to this team: his versatile talent and his unbridled joy in playing as a Celtic.
“Honestly, it’s just natural. When I got here the fans showed me a lot of love from the first moment,” he said postgame about his celebration at the baseline.
Porzingis has been vocal in his delight at being in Boston since he landed via a 2023 trade. The thing is, guys usually try to sound supportive of their teammates and franchise. When watching Porzingis, you can tell he’s actually having a good time.
He was out there during a rest game for two of his fellow starters, talking trash to Isaiah Stewart and slapping the floor after a miss. He and Stewart both eventually drew technical fouls towards the game’s end. It was long overdue, as Stewart jawed with both him and Jaylen Brown throughout the night. He also motioned for a challenge in the last few minutes of the fourth, when the Celtics were safely in winning position. The game wasn’t even part of the NBA (Nonsensical Banner Award) Cup. Porzingis just cares a lot and it’s a blast to watch.
“I enjoy watching guys have their own personality, whatever that may be, to impact the game,” Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “The thing I like is being in the arena with the guys, competing at a high level,” he added.
He has to be a big piece of that, because his teammates clearly feed off his presence on floor. Jaylen Brown praised how fun it is to feed Porzingis when he’s on.
“‘You shooting like that, man? You can shoot as many motherf—ing threes as you want,” he said postgame.
But because of Boston’s all-star duo and deep rotation, Porzingis is often pegged as a luxury piece when it comes to actual basketball. The argument is never whether Porzingis is great. It’s whether the Celtics need him to compete for a championship, (and this argument often arises from fans trying to gird themselves against the possibility of future injuries).
It’s too early to say whether this team can win a Finals series without Porzingis, if they find themselves in that disappointing position for whatever reason. They haven’t even seen Oklahoma City yet.
But while Tatum and Jrue Holiday sat, Porzingis reminded us he’s more than rim protector and 3-point shooter.
He clocked a season-high 26 points (granted, his “season” has only been four games), and he did so in just 29 minutes. He brought the Celtics back from the brink of a competitive close, when the Pistons drew the score within six. He wasn’t sinking threes in the fourth quarter, but he made a wild, praying mantis-like layup off a Payton Pritchard screen and then, a few sequences later, had an alleyoop dunk to balloon Boston’s lead to 10. He added three rebounds in that quarter and finished with nine.
It’s difficult, sometimes, to keep perspective about the NBA Calendar. The Celtics just passed the quarter-mark of the regular season. There’s still Christmas Day, the All-Star break, and the battle for seeding in the Spring.
Still, Porzingis can make a random night against a nine-win team feel a little bit meaningful, and that’s almost as rare as a unicorn.
