Kristaps Porzingis ready to give Celtics ‘high-level years’
After being traded to the Boston Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis is in go mode for the Celtics The big man says he is ready to give the organization “high-level years.”
The 27-year-old big man experienced a wild few hours before the trade. The Wizards, Clippers, and Celtics couldn’t make the Porzingis deal happen because of Malcolm Brogdon’s injury issues, which complicated matters.
“It was a crazy day for me,” Porzingis said. “I was about to go to sleep, and then I heard the news that the trade didn’t go through, so that kept me up for a little bit longer.
“But then by like 4 a.m. back home, I was like, ‘OK, I’ll go to sleep and see what happens.'”
Not to Porzingis’s surprise, the deal got done, but the real question is how. Due to injury concerns, the Clippers pulled out of the deal, then the deal stalled. Eventually, the Celtics traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies.
“[When I woke] up in the morning, I saw that it happened, the trade happened,” Porzingis said. “I was just extremely excited and extremely happy.”
“[It was] an opportunity to play for a really good team already and be able to add to that,” Porzingis added. “And hopefully to help these guys, make their life easier, and being on a high-level organization like Boston, historic franchise, iconic franchise, it made it extremely easy for me to make that decision.”
Now at 27-years-old, Porzingis is coming off easily his best season of his young career, averaging 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists, shooting 49.8 percent, including 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 85.1 percent from the free-throw line. The Latvian superstar believes his best years of basketball are ahead of him with the Celtics.
“I think these are the best years for a basketball player,” he said. “You are physically there, and mentally, you are getting to a different level. I think the work paid off for me. I looked at my game, I looked at how I could be more efficient and just really analyzed myself, and it paid off last season, all the work I put in off the court to stay healthy.
“My body is maturing, and getting to that age helped, and I believe I have some great, high-level years ahead of me.”
Can Porzingis help lead the Celtics to their first NBA championship since the 2007-08 season? Let us know in the comments.
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