Kristaps Porzingis, the key man for the Boston Celtics to win the ring in the 2023/24 season

When Kristaps Porzingis was moved to the Boston Celtics last summer, some people were worried that his history of injuries would end up harming his new team. But he has been nothing but a complete blessing for the team so far this season.

During his first 42 games of the season, the Latvian big man has averaged 20.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2 assists on 52.7% from the field. He looks like the missing puzzle piece that the Celtics have needed for so long. Unsurprisingly, they are now the top team in the entire NBA with a 45-12 record.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told Yahoo that the rest of the team has accepted Porzingis and see the benefit of playing with him. “I think now we’re starting [to] have a lot of moments of like, ‘Oh, this guy can make my life easier,’” he said. 

Porzingis has indeed had a lot of injuries throughout his seven years in the NBA during his time with the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and Washington Wizards. But he has remained very healthy so far this year. He is on track to only miss a handful of games in 2023-24 and has been playing for an average of 29.6 minutes per game.

The thing that is so great about Porzingis with the Celtics is just how seamlessly he works with other players like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and others. He has been anchoring the team's offense, especially in the paint, and has been working even better with defense too.

In a number of ways, Porzignis has looked like the player he's always hoped to be and the Celtics are benefitting greatly from that. If they are able to return to the NBA Finals this year, he will be a huge reason why.