Kristaps Porzingis was finally healthy.
After missing eleven straight games during the postseason, Porzingis was suiting up for his second game in his first career NBA Finals for the Boston Celtics.
Game 1 was perfect, as the Latvian big man notched 20 points in his first action in nearly two months. During the third quarter of the game, Porzingis suffered a rare injury: a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon.
Porzingis was sidelined in Game 3, though he was questionable until an hour before tip-off. In Game 4, however, the seven-footer was available for “very specific situations” per Coach Mazzulla.
He never saw the floor.
In Game 5, Porzingis was allowed to play with no restrictions. He played 16 minutes and finished with five points off the bench.
Ten days after the Celtics clinched the title, the team announced Porzingis would undergo surgery on the injury he sustained in the finals and would be sidelined for five to six months.
Should the Celtics Explore a Trade?
In a recent Bleacher Report article, writer Grant Hughes aimed to find trade targets for every NBA team. He mentioned two centers for the Celtics: Robert Williams III and Myles Turner.
“If Kristaps Porzingis never gets right after offseason surgery and Al Horford starts to look his age, perhaps Boston would weaken the guard rotation to shore up the center spot.”
Conversely, the Celtics may not be as thin at the center spot as many think.
In-House Options
Al Horford is currently the seventh-oldest player in the league. He started every game after Porzingis went down in Game 3 against Miami, and thrived in the role.
As we discussed a few weeks ago, however, the Celtics are unlikely to and should not rely on the 38-year-old to play at that level — especially with back-to-backs — over the first few months of the season.
With no Porzingis and no Horford, who will be next up for the team?
The answer: Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman.
Luke Kornet
The Celtics acquired Kornet from the Chicago Bulls in a 2021 trade deadline deal.
When the Celtics first acquired him, Kornet was seen as a stretch big. He owns the NCAA record for most threes made by a seven-footer, with 150.
Kornet was never able to become a strong shooter in the league, however. He hovered around 30% during the first five seasons of his career. Though, he was still a capable shooter. When Joe Mazzulla was implemented as head coach, it felt as if Kornet’s ability to shoot would be used again.
It was not. In the 2023-24 season, he took and made one total three.
Bobby Manning of CLNS Media interviewed Kornet about this very topic, to which Kornet responded that he took time to focus on skills to stay on the court, such as being a screener, roller, and offensive rebounder. Kornet has shined so far in the preseason, starting three of the first four games, and adding fifteen points in his most recent game against the 76ers.
Xavier Tillman
The Celtics acquired Tillman at the 2024 trade deadline from the Grizzlies.
What made the deal extremely intriguing is he was only 25 years old. The Celtics have been searching for a player to replace Al Horford for a long time, and Tillman felt they may have found the player. Like Kornet, Tillman could never find his footing as a three-point shooter. Tillman’s defense is what made him enticing though.
In the Grizzlies first-round matchup against the Lakers the previous season, Tillman held Anthony Davis to 15-of-35 shooting, while forcing six turnovers. When the Celtics acquired Tillman, he was 96th percentile in steal percentage and 92 in blocks. So, yes, a very good defensive player.
Tillman so far in the preseason has been even better than Celtics fans could have asked for. Six for eight from three to start, a strong sign for the team. If Tillman’s three continues to fall at around a 40% clip, the Celtics have ANOTHER big piece to add to an already star-studded squad.
Neemias Queta
Queta is entering his second season with the Celtics after signing with the team in free agency in 2023. In 20 minutes of action Sunday night the Portuguese big man scored 12 points and added 15 rebounds and five assists. Although he will not be as impactful for a title defense as the other two, Queta will be valuable to the Celtics for the nights when both Horford and Porzingis sit.
The Title Defense
The Celtics’ regular season starts on October 22nd. They will raise Banner 18 to the rafters, and start their run towards Banner 19. Xavier Tillman and Luke Kornet will be important pieces to the run and give the Celtics breathing room without Porzingis and Horford.
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