Kristaps Porzingis looked right at home in the place he used to call home, dominating on both ends of the floor to lead the Celtics to victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The one-time All-Star had a historic debut for Boston, becoming the first player in franchise history to go for 30 points in their first game with the Celtics. And while he had the 3-ball going and offered inside-out variation for Boston's new-look squad on the offensive end, his impact on defense is what set the tone.
Porzingis stifled the Knicks' offense in the paint and buried a couple of clutch shots down the stretch, earning himself some not-so-welcoming chants from the New York faithful. But when you have an entire road crowd chanting against you, you're usually doing something right.
That was the case for Boston's newest big man, who immediately showed he can be the X-factor the Celtics have been looking for to raise banner No. 18 at season's end.
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Kristaps Porzingis shows scary potential in Celtics debut
Kristaps Porzingis anchors Celtics defense
From the get-go, Porzingis silenced any doubts about replacing Robert Williams III as the anchor of the Celtics' defense. Head coach Joe Mazzulla had Porzingis in a similar free safety role, lurking in the paint while Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White switched frantically on the perimeter as Boston's defense typically does.
The Celtics made an effort to filter everything into Porzingis, allowing the 7-3 rim protector to thrive as the last line of defense. He played the entire first quarter and while he only came away with one block recorded on the box score, he impacted a ton of the Knicks' misses and decisions in the paint.
By halftime, Porzingis had tallied three blocks and his presence contributed to New York shooting just 33.3 percent at the rim, as The Sporting News' Steph Noh pointed out.
Porzingis' rim protection was awesome in that first half. Had three blocks, altered a ton of other shots, and prevented attempts b/c the Knicks didn't want to challenge him.
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) October 26, 2023
Knicks shot 33.3% at the rim in that 1H, league average last year was 64.2%. pic.twitter.com/MStlWsLInj
After his impactful first half, there were several times when Knicks players would get past the first layer of the Celtics' defense and elect to kick out instead of attempting a shot on Porzingis. He finished with four blocks and eight boards on the night, giving Boston the effort, energy and tenacity it needs to replace guys like Williams, Marcus Smart and Grant Williams on the defensive end.
Kristaps Porzingis gives Celtics different looks on offense
The 27-year-old also provided an inside-out element to the Celtics' offense that will certainly take some pressure off of Tatum and Brown to carry the scoring load.
His first bucket in Kelly Green was a backdoor lob from White — an action we've seen a couple of times from the preseason whenever he catches opposing bigs sleeping while he was spacing the floor on the perimeter.
He buried some pick-and-pop 3s that will keep defenses guessing when he's the screener. He also knocked down some deep catch-and-shoot 3s that will help draw rim protectors out of the paint to make life easier for the Jays.
But no bucket was bigger than the dagger that sealed the win for the Celtics.
Tatum had the ball with a minute and a half left in a tied game, and Porzingis came up to set a screen for Boston's closer. When the Knicks elected to double Tatum, Porzingis flared out to an open space on the wing. Tatum trusted his new teammate and Porzingis had the confidence to fire away, burying what would become a clutch game-winning 3-ball.
KP's 3 gives Boston the lead!
— NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2023
He's got 28 in the game!
Less than a minute left on ESPN 🍿 pic.twitter.com/VEHnYlOyFa
Porzingis finished with 30 points while shooting 8-for-15 from the field, 5-for-9 from beyond the arc and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. He was the first player in Celtics history to go for 30 points in a debut.
When Boston acquired the sharpshooting big man, it felt like Porzingis was the type of two-way big man who would perfectly fit into the Celtics' system.
If his first game was any indication of how this season will go, he will be the X-factor Boston has been looking for to get over the hump and win an elusive NBA championship with this core.