Fans of the Boston Celtics were able to witness the first game featuring Kristaps Porzingis on Sunday night.
They were impressed by what they saw and they aren’t the only ones who like what Porzingis brings.
Speaking to Jay King of The Athletic, Al Horford spoke about how blown away he is by Porzingis.
“You play against a guy, you prepare, you see him, but it did surprise me. He’s more mobile, more athletic than I thought,” Horford said.
NEW STORY: Al Horford had played against Kristaps Porzingis for years, but still found himself surprised watching the 7-foot-3 center go through a recent offseason workout. Horford didn’t fully realize the combination of power and grace until seeing it up close.
“This probably…
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 9, 2023
As mentioned, Horford has competed against Porzingis for years.
He has seen him again and again on the court and thought he knew all there was to him.
But now that he is teammates with him, Horford is shocked and happy with all that Porzingis can do for the squad.
On Sunday night, Porzingis got his first chance to shine in Boston in a preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
He finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in 25 minutes.
Fans were also happy to see that the team’s other newcomer, Jrue Holiday, posted 17 points of his own.
The hope is that Porzingis quickly becomes a crucial part of the team’s rotation as the new season kicks off.
A lot of people don’t realize that the Latvian wonder just had one of the best seasons of his career.
In 2022-23, he scored 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists a game on 49.8% from the field.
Of course, he did all of this while playing for the Washington Wizards, a team that is struggling to build a presence in the Eastern Conference.
Because his team was often ignored, Porzingis’ work was as well.
But now he is going to be on one of the most well-known and most-watched teams in the NBA.
He is about to get a lot more attention.
And if he keeps playing as he did on Sunday, Porzingis is going to get a lot more accolades and praise too.
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