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 without Porzingis. The next-closest was Jayson Tatum at +179. Both are plus/minus maestros regardless of personnel, but it was still jarring just to see how impactful Hauser was in that stretch.
Hauser’s overall stat line without Porzingis: 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent beyond the 3-point arc. Hauser had the fifth-most minutes played (629) without KP, trailing only the other four starters (Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Jaylen Brown).
It also should be noted that Horford was insanely efficient in the 19 games he played without Porzingis. Horford chipped in 11.6 points per game while shooting a team-best 45.6 percent beyond the arc over 30.3 minutes per game.
It’ll be a team effort to thrive without Boston’s unicorn, and the big men — from Horford to Kornet to Queta — most certainly will have to take on a bigger workload. But bench pieces like Hauser and Payton Pritchard embracing the uptick in time has gone a long way to keeping Boston afloat in those moments.
Here is who our panel thinks needs to step up:
Let’s keep it simple: Luke Kornet. He was a 36 percent 3-point shooter on a legit volume his first two years in the league. Maybe he can take two this year instead of one?
Tom Giles, Multi-platform host
I’m sticking with a big guy and going with Neemias Queta. He’s shown steady improvement and I think he’ll give them some big minutes early in the season.
Max Lederman, Multi-platform producer
Jayson Tatum averaged 28.8 points per game with a 61.4 true shooting percentage without Porzingis in the lineup last regular season, compared to 26 points on 59.9 percent true shooting with him. That said, I think JT will carry a heavier burden in other areas with KP out to start the season, so Jaylen Brown will see a bigger scoring bump.
Mark Hazlett, Multi-platform producer
I’ll stick with my Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard. This will really be the first time in his career he’s entering the season with a defined role and I think he’s going to thrive.
Derrick White. White was the Celtics’ third-leading scorer (16.2 points per game) over the 10-game stretch Porzingis missed last postseason — and that doesn’t include White’s 38-point outburst in Game 4 against the Heat, when Porzingis suffered his injury. The Celtics’ unsung hero always gives the team what it needs, and in this case, it will be an uptick in scoring.
Jaylen Brown. There’s no reason why reigning Finals MVP can’t get back to scoring 26 or 27 points per game. He was at 23 points per game last season, which wasn’t a surprise given the additions of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. But Brown will be on a mission this season, and there’s still room for improvement with his 3-point percentage.
I also want to see Brown take another step as a rebounder. With no Porzingis, Brown should be able to get to eight boards per game (his career high in a season is 6.9 per game).
I can see Jrue Holiday becoming more of a factor on the offensive end. The two-time NBA champion’s 12.5 points per game last season marked his lowest scoring output since his rookie year (2009-10). He didn’t need to be a scorer with Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown doing most of the damage.
With Porzingis out, Holiday will remind the NBA world he’s more than just a defensive stud.
Kevin Miller, VP, Content
Jayson Tatum. I think this could be the season where he averages 10-plus rebounds per game. JT’s defensive rebounding is already strong (best on the team) and those will increase without KP’s 5.5 defensive rebounds per game.
I also think Tatum could add another one or two offensive rebounds per game, which was an area where Porzingis made a sneaky impact, and someone needs to pick up that slack.
