Brad Stevens explains why Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingis
BOSTON -- For the Celtics, agreeing to trade away Malcolm Brogdon probably wasn't ideal, but it was a step the team was willing to make in order to acquire Kristaps Porzingis.
When that deal fell apart due to Brogdon's injury status, though, the Celtics had to adjust. As a result, they had to say goodbye to Marcus Smart, a player whom they definitely did not want to send away.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens spoke about how difficult it was to send away Smart, but he also explained what it was about Porzingis that made him feel like the deal had to be made.
"You've heard me talk about our, you know, playing big, playing long. Kristaps can play with any combination of our players. He can play with Rob [Williams], he can play with Al [Horford], he can play as a standalone five. He has just gotten better and better and better," Stevens said. "And you see what he was doing this year, and I thought in the games that we played against him, in the games that I watched with the most intent against other teams, I thought he just had really taken another step, too. He was already good but he just took another step. And he can play defensively in the way we want to. He is a deterrent at the rim. And he's a super-skilled basketball player."
Stevens also noted that the 7-foot-3 Porzingis can add an element of offense in the post that had been lacking from Boston's game.
"We didn't we didn't post a ton this year, but to be able to throw the ball in the post and just shoot over a switch, and doing so efficiently and effectively is a big deal -- let alone being able to play behind the line, shoot the ball, or drive it, or those types of things," Stevens said of Porzingis' offensive versatility. "So, you know, he brings a lot to our team. You can envision, as I can envision, kind of some of the lineups we can put out there size-wise right now -- pretty intriguing. And without dropping any skill at all. So that's a good thing."
Porzingis averaged a career-high 23.2 points last year to go with 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. He had a .498 shooting percentage from the field, including 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 55.9 percent on 2-point shots.
