Ramp to Camp: Which C’s players need to step up without Porzingis?

Ramp to Camp: Which C’s players need to step up without Porzingis? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics’ demolition tour didn’t skip a beat last season when Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined. The Celtics posted a 21-4 record (.840 winning percentage) without their 7-foot-2 big man during the regular season, and were 10-2 overall (.833) in the playoffs.

Still, the Celtics were undeniably more dynamic when Porzingis was available and he routinely made life easier on both ends of the court. With Porzingis sidelined to start the 2024-25 season, the Celtics will again be challenged to maintain the level of success they displayed without him a year ago.

When Porzingis underwent leg surgery in late June, the Celtics suggested he would be game-ready in five to six months. That would suggest a return some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There also seems to be little reason to jump on the accelerator, particularly when it’s most important for Porzingis to be healthy another five to six months after that, or when the playoffs are in full swing in May and June.

For the 10th installment of our Ramp to Camp series, we asked our NBC Sports Boston panel to pick the one player who must increase their overall output without Porzingis on the floor.

(Check out the first nine installments of Ramp to Camp here.)

The natural inclination is to suggest that the onus falls on Boston’s backup bigs. Al Horford is likely to elevate to the starting lineup (at least when he’s not resting during back-to-back scenarios), while Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta can expect increased reps.

But filling Porzingis’ void goes deeper than just the center position. The Celtics need to rebound better as a team and they can’t quite replicate his size on the defensive end. Filling Porzingis’ void needs to be a group effort, as the numbers from last season suggest everyone in the core group saw their counting stats tick up a bit in his absence.

Here’s one number that leaped off the page in assessing Boston’s stats without Porzingis during the regular season last year: Sam Hauser was a team-best +229 during the 25 games…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ramp-camp-cs-players-step-141000781.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-09-13 14:14:32

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