Celtics News Now: Porzingis, Trade Deadline, Odds, and Kornet in Celtics game.

Celtics News Now: Porzingis, Trade Deadline, Odds, and Kornet in Celtics game.

appeared at ease starting for the Celtics Friday writes that despite it being his first start in 2.5 years,

After missing the second game of a back-to-back with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, Kornet played 30 minutes and finished with a season-high 20 points and eight rebounds while shooting.

This week, concerns had been raised about Kornet’s place in Boston’s rotation in light of two-way big man Neemias Queta’s recent success. Due to an adductor strain, Kornet missed six games earlier this month and was benched for the final two in favor of Queta. Rather than worry about his own playing time, he made the decision to concentrate on doing everything he could to support the team.

According to Kornet, “I think it’s not good when you start feeling self-conscious and like you’re in that situation because it makes you feel a little helpless and stuff like that.” However, you’re also not really helping or encouraging anyone. There will be a lot of guys who aren’t playing on any given night, especially on an NBA roster with those 18 spots, so you kind of have the option to either close in on yourself or be able to offer your work to the group as a whole. That seems like a pretty obvious case of the better solution, in my opinion.

According to Brian Robb of MassLive, Kornet’s play may lessen the Celtics’ need to sign a big man before the trade deadline. Robb notes that Kornet and Queta are playing at a level that would rival that of any center available in that salary range, and that Boston doesn’t have many big contracts to use for salary matching outside of its top six players.
According to Steve Bulpett of Heavy, rival executives are taking note that the Celtics are an even greater favorite to win the NBA title following a successful trip to the West Coast.

When things got hard, they used to get into a lot of one-on-ones with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but you’re not really seeing that anymore,” a rival front office employee informed Bulpett. “Those guys have too many people who can beat you, and they’re giving it up more when they should.”
In a Sportskeeda interview with Mark Medina, Porzingis admits that joining a team that had traded its emotional leader to get him wasn’t simple. Marcus Smart, a key member of this team, is what they’re giving up for me, Porzingis stated. “I have to step in and offer my unique qualities and strengths to the team, not take his place. A certain amount of accountability existed.