The acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis from the Washington Wizards strengthens the frontcourt of the Boston Celtics. So much so that The Athletic’s Jared Weiss feels Porzingis’ presence on the club might have a significant impact on Celtics center Robert Williams III.
“Now that Kristaps Porziis has arrived, someone who can do just about everything you could ask of a big in a spaced-out offense, Williams must evolve,” Weiss wrote. “For the first time since breaking into the Boston rotation, Williams may become expendable.”
Weiss added what Williams has to do to prove that he is worth keeping around on the roster long-term.
Williams’ success will be critical to Boston’s long-term success because of his locker-room fit, growth potential, and contract. With the second apron coming into play next year, obtaining high-level productivity from anyone earning less than the midlevel exception will be critical as Brad Stevens and the front staff strive to reduce the payroll around their two supermax players. With Al Horford signed for two more seasons, the 25-year-old Williams will have to show he can keep growing if Boston wants to retain its frontcourt together, according to Weiss.
In 2021, Williams will begin the second year of a four-year, $48 million deal extension he signed with the Celtics.
Derrick White Wants to Stay With Celtics
Derrick White is another Celtic whose long-term future with the team isn’t a certainty. On August 1, White talked about the possibility of an extension with the Celtics while talking with ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
“I love being here in Boston. It would be cool to get an extension. We’ll see what happens during that window, but I’ve loved my time in Boston so far. My focus right now is on the season,” White said.
With Marcus Smart no longer on the team, White is slated to have a bigger role on the team as the Celtics’ starting point guard. Should White thrive in a bigger role going forward, the Celtics may not have many other options besides paying top dollar for White.
Jaylen Brown’s Thoughts on Kristaps Porzingis Trade
Jaylen Brown shared his initial impressions on having Porzingis as a teammate after signing his agreement.
“I’m looking forward to embarking on this journey as well.” “I think what Kristaps can bring to us defensively, as well as some of our other guys, I want to make sure that’s where we hang our hats this year,” Brown said. “That starts with me, starts with Jayson, starts with the guys, Rob.” We don’t want our defensive identity to be lost now that Marcus is gone, so we need to reinforce it early in training camp.”
Since beginning his NBA career in 2015, Porzingis has averaged 1.8 blocks per game, demonstrating his ability as a rim protector. Having that defensive presence might also help the Celtics be more cautious with both Williams, who is prone to injury, and Al Horford, who will be 37 years old in 2023-24.
Of course, Porzingis has proved himself to be prone to injury, as the 65 games he played in the 2022-23 season were the most he’d played since his second season with the New York Knicks – 66 games – in 2016-17.
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