SUMMARY
- Kristaps Porzingis has been a great boost the Celtics' offense.
- The Celtics are coming off two consecutive losses, and Charles Barkley believes their second unit can be stronger.
Kristaps Porzingis being acquired by the Boston Celtics was probably one of the best decisions made by Brad Stevens. While the Latvian star has dealt with multiple injuries over the years, he has been playing at peak form lately. Especially after the runs Boston has had over the last two seasons, acquiring Porzingis could probably help them seal the deal. The Celtics have shown great championship potential this season.
Boston currently has the best record in the NBA with 48 wins and 14 losses. However, they have lost their last two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets. While their starting lineup has been exceptional this season, experts believe the Celtics’ second unit is atrocious. And Charles Barkley claims that the Celtics’ head coach, Joe Mazzulla needs to implement some changes.
Charles Barkley claims running Kristaps Porzingis from the bench will help the Celtics
After the Celtics lost to the Nuggets, the former NBA player felt the need to comment on the team’s bench lineup. Charles claimed that the Celtics’ bench lineup is extremely weak. During an airing of Inside the NBA, Barkley opined, “They could solve their bench problems very easily. I honestly think they should bring Porzingis off the bench. That’s just my personal opinion.”
Charles Barkley on the Celtics:
“[They have bench problems]. I honestly think they should bring Porzingis off the bench”
I swear all Media heads just forget the concept of basketball when talking about the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/SuxwyU8NXW
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) March 8, 2024
Ever since joining the Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis has started in all 46 games he’s appeared in. Before he came into the picture, veteran Al Horford was the Celtics’ starting center. Obviously, Porzingis is a massive upgrade on offense. But Stevens gave up a few other pieces to better the starting lineup. He traded Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III to acquire veteran point guard Jrue Holiday. Without those two pieces, the Celtics’ second unit hasn’t been the same.
Kristaps Porzingis has helped the Celtics achieve an enormous net rating
Kristaps Porzingis has been averaging 20.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game on 52% shooting. He is the third player in their starting lineup who averages at least 20 points or more. Jayson Tatum has been putting up 26.8 points, while Jaylen Brown averages 22.8 points per game. As a team, they average 120.8 points per game, the fourth highest in the league.
Kristaps Porzingis is insane LOL pic.twitter.com/ntH1Jyi6ph
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) March 6, 2024
Porzingis’ presence has helped them achieve an 11.4 net rating this season. Shockingly, the second-best net rating is owned by Oklahoma City Thunder by a big margin. However, the issue lies in the bench lineup as they barely average as many points as the second unit of the worst team in the league at the moment.