The Boston Celtics don’t exactly have weaknesses. The defending champions entered Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a 14-3 record. They currently rank No. 3 in offense and No. 10 in defense. They rarely turn the ball over, have pulled in defensive rebounds at a roughly average rate and are an above-average foul-drawing team despite taking the fewest 2-pointers in the NBA by far.
Boston does almost everything well, and what they don’t is often by design.
The Celtics focus defensively on taking away 3-pointers. Combine that preference with the historic number of 3s they take themselves and Boston’s strategy is built around dominating the math game involved in shot selection. As a result, their one “weakness” has been defense near the basket. The Celtics have allowed the fifth-most points in the paint so far this season as they often leave their centers alone to patrol that area. Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta have done an admirable job on that front, but none are maximized as rim protectors.
This is where the 7-foot-2 Kristaps Porzingis comes in. Boston’s starting center had missed the first 17 games after undergoing offseason ankle surgery, but he made his season debut on Monday against the Clippers, and sure enough, the Celtics hit a new season-high with 11 blocks in a 126-94 win.
Porzingis himself contributed two of them, but his presence allowed his teammates to play more aggressively. The Celtics allowed only 92.2 points per 100 possessions during his 23 minutes of playing time.
Porzingis, who had 16 points and six rebounds, is an even better offensive player than he is a defender, but scoring has been no trouble whatsoever for the Celtics this season. They’re just a hair off of last season’s league-record pace in offensive rating through 18 games, and they’re set to become the first team in NBA history to take more 3s than 2s over a full season.
Porzingis’ ability to make 3s, often from several feet behind the line, stretches opposing defenses further. When the 3s aren’t falling, his size and ability to punish mismatches can get the Celtics back on track. He’s one of the league’s ultimate switch-busters.
But shoring up that defense is where his return will be felt most. The Celtics are a good defense without him, but stick Porzingis in the middle with their incredible defenders on the perimeter and Boston becomes as hard to score on as they are to stop.
The rich just got richer.