Five months after ankle surgery, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis makes season debut
Kristaps Porzingis is back.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he knew about a week ago that Kristaps Porzingis would make his season debut on Monday night.
Porzingis returned to action against the Clippers after missing the first 17 games while recovering from ankle surgery.
He scored 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in 23 minutes as the Celtics cruised to their sixth straight win, 126-94.
“It felt great. Obviously it was a not super long, but pretty long rehab,” Porzingis said. “I was itching to get back out there with this team after winning a championship. It was a good beginning. A good first game back.”
There will be an adjustment period as the Celtics work him back into the offense, Mazzulla said. Seeing how the 7-foot-2-inch center fits into the spacing with his teammates, as well as how opponents choose to guard him, will help as time goes on.
“It will take some time, just figuring out how teams are going to guard him and that will kind of dictate how we go from there,” Mazzulla said. “But, he definitely brings a different level of offense, whether it’s our shot selection, spacing, or different coverages that teams are playing us.”
Porzingis is comfortable playing out of both the high and low post. He’s also a career 36 percent 3-point shooter that can stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting.
The Celtics are taking a league-high 50.5 3-point attempts per game, which is up from 42.5 last season. Mazzulla said doesn’t have a particular number of 3-point attempts that he aims for on a given night and that it’s about generating the best possible looks.
The coach said Porzingis’s return could change what he considers to be a good shot.
“Just take the best shot possible, and that will change with KP coming back,” Mazzulla said. “It’ll change when he’s on the floor, off the floor, whether we’re small‚ whether we’re big. All those things go into that. At the end of the day it’s making sure we know what the coverage is, doing the best job we can to create the advantage, and take the best shot possible on each possession.”
Porzingis’s length and athleticism will also change the way the Celtics are able to attack their matchups on defense, Mazzulla said.
“With him, you’re able to play different,” he said. “You’re able to obviously switch less, keep to your matchups a little bit different. We haven’t had as much versatility with him out, so we’ll look to have a little more versatility.”
When asked if Porzingis would be on a minutes restriction, Mazzulla said he’ll just do what’s best for the team.
“He’s worked hard. He’s in good shape,” Mazzulla said. “We’ll put him in a position to be healthy and successful and do what’s best for the team and I think pretty consistent based on his work ethic and what he’s done to get to this point.”
Jeff Van Gundy gets his ring
After spending a season as a senior consultant with the Celtics last year, Jeff Van Gundy left to join the Clippers as an assistant coach.
According to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, Van Gundy received his Celtics championship ring before Monday’s game.
Lue reflected on the early days of his coaching career in Boston and how it felt to see Van Gundy get his first championship ring after spending decades in the coaching business.
“It’s a special place. That’s where I got my first start, opportunity to coach with Doc [Rivers],” Lue said. “Danny Ainge gave me the opportunity to pursue coaching. That was a big step in my coaching career. [Brian] Shaw was drafted here and JVG got his first ring, a guy that worked so hard over the years and put so much work and time into winning a championship in Boston last year was good for him.”
A unique view of Jayson Tatum’s Olympic experience
Lue, who was an assistant coach on Team USA’s coaching staff this summer, said he offered some words of encouragement for Jayson Tatum while he was benched twice during the run to the gold medal.
“Talking to him before, after and during — that’s my cousin so it’s hard to see him and the way he felt, I know he wanted to play,” Lue said. “Being All-NBA three years in a row and the type of player he has become, since he got in the league, I know it was tough for him.”
“So, my job as a coach and as a family member is just to make sure he stays positive. It was a tough moment but we got through it. We won gold, and I was happy for him and the way he handled himself.”
Wishes granted
Monday was Make-A-Wish night at TD Garden. Tatum met with five children before the game, including Mason Doran Hood, a 12-year-old from Canada who is diagnosed with severe hemophilia B.
On Sunday, the participants and their family members took a private duck boat tour and had a viewing party at Causeway Boston for the Celtics-Timberwolves game.
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