1. Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis is in his first season in Boston, and New York has already seen him twice. In his Celtics debut, he dropped 30 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep to go with eight rebounds and four blocks at Madison Square Garden.
Kristaps Porzingis put up big numbers and secured the W in his @celtics debut 💪
— NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2023
🔥 30 PTS
🔥 5 3PM
🔥 8 REB
🔥 4 BLK pic.twitter.com/HBH4o2yh6o
He was one of Boston's key acquisitions over the offseason, with Jrue Holiday being the other. Porzingis went from being on one of the worst teams in the East to the best.
The biggest question mark about Porzingis is his health. He has missed a couple of games after banging knees with Julius Randle in the Celtics' win on Nov. 13. Still, through 10 contests, he's averaging 19.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, shooting a career-best 56.5% from the field and 40.8% from three. His usage rate has dipped, but that was expected.
Ironically, after being drafted No. 4 overall by New York in 2015, Porzingis is excelling with one of the Knicks' most hated rivals. The Celtics are on a quest to win their first title since 2008, and so far, they look the part. It might pain New York fans to admit, but 2024 could be the year that Porzingis wins his first championship.