{"id":76049,"date":"2024-05-03T14:09:57","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T18:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=76049"},"modified":"2024-05-03T14:09:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T18:09:57","slug":"3-keys-for-the-celtics-to-maintain-success-without-porzingis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/03\/3-keys-for-the-celtics-to-maintain-success-without-porzingis\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Keys for The Celtics to Maintain Success Without Porzingis"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Game 4 against the Heat\u00a0<\/span>Kristaps\u00a0<\/span><\/a>Porzingis went down with a calf injury<\/a>. Since\u00a0<\/span>then<\/span>\u00a0he\u2019s officially<\/a> been diagnosed with a soleus calf strain, the same injury Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> recently dealt with. The Celtics expect<\/a> Porzingis to be sidelined at least for the second round before returning for a potential conference finals matchup. In the next round, the Celtics will take on the winner of the Cavs Magic series\u00a0<\/span>Cleveland<\/span>\u00a0currently leads 3-2. Let\u2019s dive into how the Celtics can maintain their success without Porzingis.<\/span><\/p>\n

3 Keys for The Celtics to Maintain Success Without Porzingis<\/h2>\n

1. Other Bigs Must Step Up\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Perhaps the most obvious implication from Porzinigis\u2019 injury is how it impacts the Celtics center rotation<\/a>. Al Horford<\/a> will slide into the starting center role where he started 33 regular season games. Horford\u2019s incredible experience, floor spacing, and high-IQ defense make him\u00a0<\/span>extremely<\/span>\u00a0trustworthy in the playoffs. While Horford still offers quality production, his age is a concern. At\u00a0<\/span>37<\/span>\u00a0it\u2019s worth wondering if Horford can handle an increased minute load. Horford averaged<\/a> 25.6 minutes,<\/span>\u00a08\u00a0<\/span>ppg,<\/span>\u00a07\u00a0<\/span>rpg, and shot 40% on three-pointers in the first round. Last year\u00a0<\/span>Horford<\/span>\u00a0averaged<\/a> 30 minutes in the playoffs\u00a0<\/span>the year<\/span>\u00a0before\u00a0<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0averaged 34. Whether the Celtics can consistently get 30-plus minutes out of Horford with high-level production remains to be seen. Horford\u2019s production and ability to play big minutes will\u00a0<\/span>greatly<\/span>\u00a0impact the Celtics’ success, especially against the size of the Magic or Cavs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, the Celtics will count on the contributions of Luke Kornet<\/a> and Xavier Tillman<\/a> to round out their big-man rotation. Kornet\u00a0<\/span>was injured<\/span>\u00a0for the first two games of the opening round before appearing in the last three games of the series.\u00a0<\/span>He averaged<\/a> 8.7 minutes,<\/span>\u00a02\u00a0<\/span>ppg, and<\/span>\u00a04\u00a0<\/span>rpg\u00a0<\/span>in these three games<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Kornet averaged 16 minutes in the regular season\u00a0<\/span>without<\/span>\u00a0Porzingis\u00a0<\/span>his<\/span>\u00a0minutes will likely increase to this range. Kornet is a solid lob threat and rebounder\u00a0<\/span>however<\/span>\u00a0his mobility and defense present\u00a0<\/span>serious<\/span>\u00a0concerns in a playoff setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the first round\u00a0<\/span>Tillman<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>only<\/span>\u00a0received a total of seven minutes\u00a0<\/span>all<\/span>\u00a0in Game 5. However, the Celtics may turn to Tillman considering these factors. Tillman averaged 13.7 in the regular season; he’s a high-IQ player on both ends of the floor with\u00a0<\/span>great<\/span>\u00a0rebounding skills. Additionally, Tillman has solid playoff experience\u00a0<\/span>averaging<\/span><\/a>\u00a030 minutes per game with the Grizzlies last year. While Tillman’s minutes will likely start within the 10 to 12 range, his skill set and experience could\u00a0<\/span>allow him to become<\/span>\u00a0an\u00a0<\/span>important<\/span>\u00a0part of the Celtics rotation. Ultimately\u00a0<\/span>at<\/span>\u00a0least one of these centers must step up and take on a\u00a0<\/span>bigger<\/span>\u00a0role without Porzingis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Find Ways to Generate Inside Looks\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Porzingis\u2019 presence as an efficient lob and post-up threat unlocked a new element in the Celtics offense. Porzingis shot<\/a> 62% on post-ups this year\u00a0<\/span>putting<\/span>\u00a0him in the 96th percentile. Without him, the Celtics will need to find more ways to generate quality looks inside.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span>\u00a0is especially important for the Celtics as they rank dead last in two-point frequency<\/a> in\u00a0<\/span>both<\/span>\u00a0regular and postseason play<\/a>. The Celtics must find ways to balance out their shot diet and get more interior looks. The Celtics could utilize Horford more as a post-up threat; he shot<\/a> 61% on post-ups this year on a fraction of Porzingis\u2019 attempts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally<\/span>, look for Jayson Tatum<\/a> to get more post-up opportunities\u00a0<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0shot<\/a> 52% on post-ups\u00a0<\/span>placing<\/span>\u00a0him in the 76th percentile\u00a0<\/span>he\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0particularly effective at punishing smaller matchups. However, Jaylen Brown<\/a> generating rim pressure will likely be the Celtics’\u00a0<\/span>main<\/span>\u00a0source of interior scoring.\u00a0<\/span>Brown is the only Celtics starter who scores two-pointers<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>than Porzingis<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a060<\/span>% of his points on two-point attempts.<\/span>\u00a0Furthermore, this year\u00a0<\/span>Brown<\/span>\u00a0shot a career-high<\/a> 61% at the rim. An aggressive Brown will balance out the Celtics offense and set the tone for the series.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Stifling Team Defense\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Without\u00a0<\/span>Porzingis<\/span>\u00a0the Celtics rim-protection and defense will\u00a0<\/span>certainly<\/span>\u00a0take a step back. However, the Celtics had the second-ranked<\/a>\u00a0on the season\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0their collective elite defense is still intact. This number has translated to the playoffs where the Celtics rank third<\/a>\u00a0with a 100.7 defensive rating. Horford isn\u2019t a dynamic shot blocker like Porzingis\u00a0<\/span>however<\/span>\u00a0his high IQ and elite instincts will be enough to keep the Celtics defense at a high level. Jrue Holiday<\/a> will also likely get more opportunities to guard opposing big men. The Celtics defensive strategy will change based on their second-round matchup.<\/span><\/p>\n

Against the Cavs, the Celtics will have to pressure their ball-handlers with stifling perimeter defense from Holiday and Derrick White<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Alternatively<\/span>\u00a0against the Magic, the Celtics would have to pack the paint\u00a0<\/span>forcing<\/span>\u00a0the Magic into shooting as much as possible. The Celtics matching the defensive intensity and physicality of their defensive-minded opponents will be\u00a0<\/span>key<\/span>. Regardless of the\u00a0<\/span>opponent<\/span>\u00a0the Celtics playing suffocating team-oriented defense will be necessary to overcome Porzingis\u2019 absence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Game 4 against the Heat\u00a0Kristaps\u00a0Porzingis went down with a calf injury. Since\u00a0then\u00a0he\u2019s officially been diagnosed with a soleus calf strain, the same injury Giannis Antetokounmpo recently dealt with. The Celtics expect Porzingis to be sidelined at least for the second round before returning for a potential conference finals matchup. In the next round, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4779,"featured_media":76052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,5,62],"tags":[49186,250,1090,450,798,239,138,1776,1151],"class_list":["post-76049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-nba","tag-2024-nba-playoffs","tag-al-horford","tag-derrick-white","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-jayson-tatum","tag-jrue-holiday","tag-kristaps-porzingis","tag-luke-kornet","tag-xavier-tillman"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4779"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}