It hasn’t been smooth sailing for KP since he has returned from injury, but last night, the Celtics pulled out an ugly win against the Denver Nuggets, largely behind the play of Kristaps Porzingis.
Last season, Porzingis took the Celtics to unforeseen heights on both ends of the court. With Porzingis on the court, the Celtics had a 10.58 net rating. This season, in 356 minutes, the Celtics have a 2.50 net rating — a profound difference. This matches the eye test and individual production.
KP has not looked as comfortable punishing smaller players in the post. The experience with Porzingis on the court hasn’t quite had the same explosively punishing feeling. He hasn’t been the cheat code he was last season.
But last night against the Nuggets, Kristaps Porzingis looked more like his old self. Porzingis submitted an All-Star level performance against the Nuggets with 25 points on 58% true shooting, 11 rebounds (5 of which were offensive), 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. KP stuffed the stat sheet. Not a bad performance for a guy who thinks he still has a little ways to go before he’s back to his peak.
“Probably like 80-85%, so I still have a little bit to go. Shot needs to calibrate a little bit better, I haven’t been shooting the ball well this season,” Porzingis said after the game. “There’s definitely things I can improve. But I know that moment is coming when everything will start clicking.”
The reality of returning from a long-term injury is that it can be challenging for a player to find their rhythm from both a physical and skills perspective. Celtics fans were maybe lulled into a false sense of security in Porzingis’ return against the Clippers, where he had 16 points on 12 shots and was blocking everything in sight. And it’s not the first time he’s returned from injury and looked fantastic. Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals comes to mind.
“It doesn’t sound good, but I have to play my way back into shape. Then obviously I can exert more energy on things. But I know this is what everyone expects from me, this is what I showed last season, and now I’m just working my way back up. And honestly, tonight was, in my opinion, one of the first games I felt like I’m getting close to feeling healthy, feeling good.”
Was it convenient that KP got to sharpen his skills against a Denver Nuggets team missing Nikola Jokic? Sure. But as long as the skills get sharpened, Celtics fans shouldn’t worry about the circumstances.
