The Boston Celtics are the most storied franchise in NBA history, so their fans are as well versed about how the game of basketball works at the professional level as any.
With that being the case, Celtics fans are keenly aware that postseason performances can make or break the respective standing of a player within the organization, no matter who he is. One key piece of the rotation could very well be facing that sort of uncertainty with regard to their own job security without a standout showing once Boston tips off its quest to repeat as NBA champions.
Kristaps Porzingis May Be on Thin Ice During Boston's Playoff Push
From purely a skill standpoint, Kristaps Porzingis is truly the unicorn he was made out to be upon entering the league as he is more than capable of doing things on both ends of the floor that are extremely impressive for a player of his size. Despite that being the case, there are also plenty of aspects about Porzingis and his game that are causes for concern and those will be under the microscope more than ever this postseason.
Porzingis is under contract for one more year with a cap hit of $30 million on the books for the Celtics. In a perfect world, this wouldn't be anything to worry about at this point in time. Unfortunately, as we all know, this isn't a perfect world and Brad Stevens could be forced to make a difficult decision regarding the Latvian big man and his long-term fit in Boston should this playoff run not go as hoped.
The phrase "the best ability is availability" gets thrown around a lot when it comes to professional athletes, and this couldn't sum up what is easily the biggest knock on Porzingis and his game at this point in time. He is simply not available as often as the Celtics would like, and injuries have been at the forefront of those absences. Over the course of two seasons in Boston, Porzingis has only appeared in 99 of a possible 164 games. When you carry a cap number of $30 million, you need to be on the floor for more than roughly half of the games your team plays.
Another thing working against Porzingis is the fact that he is only getting older. The big man will be on the wrong side of 30 by the time training camp opens this fall. The likelihood of injuries piling up only grows as an athlete gets older and that has to be something that gives Stevens and the rest of the front office, hesitation when it comes to penciling Porzingis in as their center of the future.
Boston has one of the most expensive rosters in the league and could be looking at a team that costs them over $500 million per season due to luxury tax implications of being over the second apron. With new ownership taking control, there are no guarantees that they will spend the same way the old guard did despite their commitment to fielding the best team possible in Boston.
For all of these reasons, Porzingis and some of his Celtics teammates are already seeing their names involved in trade chatter. Per NBA Insider Jake Fischer, executives around the league are of the opinion that Porzingis or Jrue Holiday could ultimately come available this offseason in an effort to lessen the impact felt on the franchise by the overall cost of their roster. Of the two, Porzingis is considerably younger and, despite his injury history, could be more attractive on the trade market.
One thing seems certain, without a strong showing this postseason, Porzingis' immediate future in Boston will be anything but clear.