Kristaps Porzingis

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Starting Lineup, Roster Moves, Mazzulla

January 18th, 2025 at 4:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

After scoring 23 points in 23 minutes on Friday, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis expressed hope that he might be available for tonight’s game against Atlanta, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Porzingis is officially listed as questionable, but if he’s able to take the court, it would mark his first back-to-back since returning from offseason surgery.

“I believe so,” Porzingis responded when asked if he felt he could be ready. “But that’s a little bit out of my hands. I think tomorrow we’ll know more information.”

Robb notes that Al Horford won’t be available because he also played in Friday’s game, and the Celtics haven’t used him on both nights of a back-to-back over the past two years. The final decision on Porzingis will be made by the medical staff, and Robb points out that Boston is in the midst of playing five games in seven days, so there are reasons to exercise caution.

Porzingis has played in seven straight contests since returning from an ankle injury, and he has topped 20 points in three of his last five games.

There’s more from Boston:

Friday marked a vintage performance for the Celtics’ starters, who were considered one of the best five-man units in the league last season, Robb states in a separate story. Limited by Porzingis’ absence early on, the group had been together for just 10 games before Friday and had a -11.8 net rating in 147 minutes. They looked back to normal in the victory over Orlando, outscoring the Magic by 15 points in their 20 minutes on the court together. “Results can vary with plus/minus and things like that,” Jayson Tatum said. “But I think just how connected we were on both ends of the floor, especially on defense. Everybody was on the same page, we were connected, helping each other out. So regardless of the plus/minus, the way we went about it was a lot better today.”
The Celtics emphasized continuity in the offseason, bringing back virtually the same roster than won the title in 2024, but a small trade may be necessary to shake things up, Robb adds in a mailbag column. He also suggests it might be time to reduce the minutes for starting guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White in light of their recent struggles.
Coming off Wednesday’s embarrassing loss at Toronto, coach Joe Mazzulla encouraged his players to embrace the challenges that the NBA can present, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The team has been surprisingly average over the past month or so, and Porzingis said it lacked spirit and energy in the 13-point defeat against the lowly Raptors. “To me, this is the fun part of why you enter the arena,” Mazzulla said. “Anyone who is not in the arena, they don’t have a skin in the game. You enjoy it and it’s fun. This is why you do what you do. This is why you play for the Celtics. This is why you play in the NBA. This is why you go after something that’s extremely hard to do is for the challenge of it. And to have an expectation of it being anything other than challenging is the wrong way to attack. … You can’t only enjoy things when they go your way. That’s called being spoiled.”

Celtics Notes: Close Call, Tatum, Porzingis, J. Green

January 13th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics, who were booed by their home fans during Friday’s loss to Sacramento, narrowly avoided a more embarrassing defeat Sunday night, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The 8-32 Pelicans stayed even with the defending champions for a full 48 minutes and only lost when CJ McCollum‘s last-second floater bounced off the rim.

It continued roughly a month of inconsistent play for Boston, which is now 9-7 over its last 16 games, but coach Joe Mazzulla realizes that stretches like this should be expected during a long season.

“Every season is different, our journey [also]‚” he said. “With that being said, if you take a look at the perspective, there are things that we’re doing well. Most important is winning the game and making the necessary plays even when things aren’t going well. Every season brings on different challenges. Every season brings on different opportunities and the situation we’re in right now, we’ve got to just fight through it.”

New Orleans was more formidable on Sunday than its record would suggest. Zion Williamson was in the lineup for the second time since returning from a hamstring strain, and Trey Murphy was back after a three-game absence with a sprained left ankle. They teamed up with Dejounte Murray for the first time this season, and the three of them ignited the Pelicans’ offense by combining for 72 points.

The night was still a positive one for the Celtics, as Washburn notes that they gained a full game in the standings on top-seeded Cleveland for the first time since November 29.

“Maybe you don’t want to play your best basketball at the beginning of January,” Jayson Tatum said. “We’ve been through this before. We’ve still got a lot of time left to get back to our identity. It’s not supposed to be easy and we’re getting everybody’s best shot. New Orleans played really well. I don’t think they played like that all the time. But it was a good test for us. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

There’s more from Boston:

Tatum had a technical foul rescinded from a January 2 game at Minnesota, Washburn adds in a separate story. After being called for a foul, Tatum reacted with a hand slap, which has gotten him T’d up several times. However, he insisted that he was frustrated with himself rather than the call, and the league agreed.
Injuries have prevented Mazzulla from using his preferred starting five as much as he would like, and he has compared it to a training camp setting as he tries to get Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White on the court at the same time, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis, who missed the start of the season while recovering from surgery, is optimistic that he’s ready to be a regular fixture in that lineup. “The first game I came back against the Clippers (on Nov. 25), it felt pretty natural,” he said. “Boom, I was right in. But then, again, I’m out, I’m in, I’m out a little bit. Not playing my best basketball, not being as efficient. That adds up a little bit to the team. But now I look forward to having a good, long stretch of being healthy and getting in a good rhythm and us hitting our stride.”
Former Celtic Javonte Green could be a worthwhile trade target before the February 6 deadline, suggests Brian Robb of MassLive. The 31-year-old swingman has been averaging 21.3 minutes per night for the Pelicans, but his playing time might decline now that the team is healthier. He holds an expiring minimum-salary contract and likely won’t have a future in New Orleans. Robb sees him as someone who could provide wing depth for Boston at the price of a second-round pick or two.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Home Losses, Porzingis, R. Williams

January 11th, 2025 at 6:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics had a relatively smooth path to last year’s NBA title, claiming the top spot in the East by a wide margin with 64 wins, then cruising through four rounds in the playoffs. Things have been different this season as the defending champs are just 8-7 in their last 15 games and may face a tough fight to hold onto the second seed. After Friday’s home loss to Sacramento, Jaylen Brown talked to reporters, including Brian Robb of MassLive, about what has gone differently.

“Teams have adjusted to how we kind of played early in the season and we’re making adjustments back,” Brown said. “We’ve gotta be better at protecting the basket and we gotta figure out how to win games in different ways. I think that we’ve been injured for a good majority part of the year. Now a lot of our guys are all healthy all on the same floor at the same time, so just figuring that rhythm out. So, like I said, I believe in this group. We’re going to figure it out.”

Friday marked just the third game all season that Boston has entered with a fully healthy roster, although it didn’t seem to matter in the 17-point rout. Robb notes that the Celtics have struggled to adjust to Kristaps Porzingis after he missed the first few weeks while recovering from offseason surgery, as he and Jayson Tatum tend to prefer a slower pace than the rest of the team.

Brown still believes the players will figure things out.

“It’s basketball at the end of the day and we got a bunch of talented and intelligent basketball minds,” he said. “We just have to think the game and I think just our pace has a lot to do with it, just get into our spacing, I think we posted a lot tonight and it kind of slowed things down. It kinda gets guys out of rhythm. We gotta keep the pace and keep everybody engaged, and I think how we get the ball up the floor, how we get to get to the corners and all that stuff has an effect on our offense.”

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The Celtics heard some boos from the home crowd during the final quarter of Friday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. They were a result of increasingly common struggles at TD Garden, where the team is just 13-7 after going 37-4 last season. “Honestly, I like it,” Porzingis said. “It’s kind of deserved. They expect high level from us, high level based off our talent and what we’ve shown in the past. … I think when we’re not giving our all, I think that’s the most deserved boos. So it’s normal and that’s just a sign of them wanting us to bring up our level, bring up our energy. And we have to respond to that.”
Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe examines some of the reasons for the Celtics’ recent downturn, including poor fourth-quarter numbers, inconsistent three-point shooting and slow pace of play. He also points to a disappointing start by Porzingis, who addressed his performance Friday night. “I haven’t been at, like, my top shape yet,” he said. “It’s been tough to have this kind of a summer and the surgery and everything. Not to make an excuse, but obviously I just haven’t been able to get back into that really top, top shape for playing. And then these small things [like ankle sprains] obviously derail you a little bit again.”
In a video produced by the Trail Blazers (YouTube link), center Robert Williams talks about the shock of being traded by the Celtics shortly before the start of last season, Terada relays in a separate story. “I was in my basement in Boston and my agent texts me like, ‘It’s tough, but we gotta let you go,’ whatever, whatever,” Williams recalls. “I respect that always. It’s always love on that side for the opportunities. I was sad. It was my first trade. I was sad for like two or three days.”

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Kornet, Tatum, Udoka, Brown

January 4th, 2025 at 6:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis overcame early foul trouble in his return to the court Friday night at Houston, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis, who missed the previous four games with a sprained left ankle, was able to play 28 minutes, posting 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.

“I felt all right,” he said afterward. “Still haven’t been in my best shape this season yet, so it’s a little bit tough. But I’m happy to be healthy and working my way toward feeling better and better each game.”

The Celtics have been careful with Porzingis, who sat out the first month of the season while recovering from foot surgery. He has appeared in just 12 of the team’s 35 games so far and has talked about the frustration of trying to establish a rhythm with such an erratic playing pattern. Coach Joe Mazzulla and the training staff are focused on keeping him healthy for the start of the playoffs in April.

“It’s tough for him because he’s going through a transition of coming in,” Mazzulla said. “But I thought his defense in the second half was tremendous. I thought we went to a couple things that kind of got him going a little bit on some pin-downs and got him comfortable. I thought for his first game back, I thought he was great. He really helped us, especially defensively, in the second half.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

After Rockets center Alperen Sengun scored 14 points in the first half, Mazzulla switched to a double-big lineup to shut him down, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Luke Kornet started the third quarter alongside Porzingis, with Neemias Queta rotating in 0ff the bench. All that size clearly bothered Sengun, who went scoreless in the second half while missing all four of his shots from the field. “Kind of make it hard to play in a crowd,” Kornet said. “And then I think that length, having that be the help person, can make kickouts a little more difficult. But I feel like especially in the second half our physicality was great and just trying to match that and make things difficult.”
The Celtics improved to 3-0 against their former head coach, Ime Udoka, who led them to the NBA Finals in 2022, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Jayson Tatum talked about the experience of playing for Udoka and how it benefited the team. “I think Ime, he’s big on toughness and physicality and taking on the challenge and going at people,” Tatum said. “And that’s what we did that year, right? We had a tough start. But him as our head coach, he never wavered and we turned out season around. We was hungry. And got to the Finals and came up short. We loved to have him around. He’s an amazing person, amazing coach.”
Jaylen Brown, who missed the past two games with a shoulder strain, is the only Celtic listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game at Oklahoma City, Robb adds in a separate story. Brown is expected to be a game-time decision, with Sam Hauser continuing to replace him in the starting lineup if he’s unavailable.

Injury Notes: Pelicans, Lakers, Celtics, Ivey, M. Robinson

January 2nd, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past 23 games with a left hamstring strain, Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado says he plans to return to action on Friday vs. Washington, as Will Guillory of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).

“I’ll be playing tomorrow for sure,” Alvarado said. “No doubt. … I finally get to be Jose again. It’s going to be a lot of crazy man out there.”

Both of the Pelicans’ injured star forwards — Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson — were spotted getting some on-court work in after Thursday’s practice, according to Guillory (Twitter video links).

Williamson has been out since Nov. 6 with a left hamstring strain and was considered week-to-week nine days ago. Ingram, who has been out since Dec. 7 due to a “significant” left ankle sprain, is set to be reevaluated next week.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Anthony Davis (left ankle sprain) and Gabe Vincent (left oblique strain) are unlikely to suit up on Thursday when the Lakers host Portland, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link). Both players have been downgraded to doubtful after initially being listed as questionable.
The Celtics have downgraded Jaylen Brown (right shoulder strain) and Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) from questionable to out for Thursday’s game in Minnesota, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Porzingis, who will miss his fourth consecutive game with the injury, said he was “definitely getting close” to returning following shootaround in the afternoon, per Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thursday will mark Brown’s first absence with the shoulder issue and sixth missed game overall.
Jaden Ivey underwent surgery on Thursday morning to repair the broken fibula in his left leg after sustaining the injury on Wednesday. Although Ivey will reportedly miss most — if not all — of the rest of the season, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press hears there’s optimism the Pistons guard did not sustain ligament or tendon damage, which is encouraging news (Twitter link).
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. Although he hasn’t been able to run at full speed to this point, head coach Tom Thibodeau said the team is expecting Robinson to be cleared for practices “sometime this month,” according to SNY.tv.

Injury Notes: Kuzma, Raptors, Morant, Celtics, Suggs

December 29th, 2024 at 4:14pm CST by Rory Maher

The Wizards and Kyle Kuzma are targeting Monday’s rematch with New York for the veteran forward’s return to action, team sources tell Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As Robbins notes, Kuzma has missed the past 12 games with a sprained rib cartilage, having last played on Nov. 27. The two sides will determine if he’s able to suit up in the hours leading up to the game.

League executives believe the Wizards are “eager” to move Kuzma before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, as Marc Stein reported last week. However, the bonuses in his contract could complicate matters for suitors operating in close proximity to the tax aprons.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

The Raptors will have a handful of players back in action on Sunday vs. Atlanta, including swingman Bruce Brown, who will be making his season debut following offseason knee surgery, and starting center Jakob Poeltl, who has missed the past four games with a groin issue (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca).
Ja Morant will be sidelined for Sunday’s matchup with Oklahoma City due to an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, the Grizzlies announced (story via Tim MacMahon of ESPN). It’s unclear how much time Morant might miss beyond Sunday’s contest between the top-two seeds in the West.
The Celtics will be without Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) and Jrue Holiday (right shoulder impingement) for Sunday’s contest vs. Indiana, the team announced (Twitter links). Both starters had previously been listed as questionable. Asked about Holiday’s status, head coach Joe Mazzulla suggested the injury was relatively minor, as Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets. “He’s getting better every day,” Mazzulla said. “He’ll continue to get better and we’ll see how it is.”
All-Defensive guard Jalen Suggs sustained a right wrist sprain on Sunday against Brooklyn and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, the Magic announced (via Twitter). Any type of extended absence for Suggs would certainly be rough — Orlando has already been playing without three of its top four scorers (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner). Suggs, who signed a lucrative long-term extension with the Magic before the season began, has averaged a career-best 16.8 points per game in 2024/25.

Eastern Notes: Finney-Smith, Celtics, Toppin, J. Johnson, Bagley

December 27th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith returned to the Nets‘ starting lineup on Friday vs. San Antonio after missing three games due to a left calf contusion, an injury he admitted was related to a left ankle sprain that cost him several games in November and early December, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“Same ankle, which kind of ran up my calf, changed the way I ran,” Finney-Smith said. “You know your body adjusts to pain, so I started running a little different. So it started causing me to irritate my calf. I’ll be all right. I’ve just got to be smarter, listen to my body sometime.”

Besides being an important part of Brooklyn’s starting lineup, Finney-Smith is considered a prime candidate to be traded before this season’s deadline, so the Nets will want to keep him healthy for both reasons.

Finney-Smith’s three-and-D skill set would be a fit for just about any contending team and he can become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end if he turns down his 2025/26 player option. With that in mind, the rebuilding Nets are expected to try to get what they can for him rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer.

Here’s more from around the East:

The Celtics were missing a pair of starters on Friday vs. Indiana, with Kristaps Porzingis out due to a left ankle sprain and Jrue Holiday unavailable for a second straight game due to a right shoulder impingement (Twitter link). The defending champions weren’t hampered by the absences though, blowing out Indiana by a score of 142-105, led by Jaylen Brown‘s 44 points.
The Pacers were without forward Obi Toppin for Friday’s blowout loss. Head coach Rick Carlisle – who acknowledged on Thursday that Toppin would “probably miss some time,” per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star – said before Friday’s game that he doesn’t yet have a sense of a timetable for Toppin, but noted that he has always been a quick healer (Twitter link via Dopirak).
Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal Constitution explores the All-Star case that Hawks forward Jalen Johnson is making this season. Besides averaging new career highs in points (19.8), rebounds (10.3), and assists (5.5) per game, Johnson has posted impressive on/off-court numbers — Atlanta has a +0.9 net rating when he’s on the floor and a dismal -10.4 mark when he isn’t.
After injuring his right knee on Monday, Wizards big man Marvin Bagley III has been diagnosed with a sprain, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Bagley was out Thursday and figures to remain on the shelf for the foreseeable future, but he avoided a worst-case scenario, according to head coach Brian Keefe, who said he doesn’t expect the injury to be a season-ender, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (Twitter link).

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Tatum, Porzingis, Springer

December 26th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics still may have the best roster in the league, but they haven’t looked like the defending champions for the past two weeks, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Boston is 3-4 in its last seven games, including losses against the sub-.500 Bulls and the short-handed Magic. Coach Joe Mazzulla was candid about his team’s recent play after falling to Philadelphia on Wednesday.

“We’re playing inconsistent basketball, so we’ve got to be better at both ends of the floor,” he said. “Got to be more consistent at both ends of the floor.”

The Celtics are second in the East and third in the NBA with a 22-8 record, but Robb notes that their schedule is about to get much more challenging. There are limited off days and a few back-to-backs coming up over the next three weeks, which could be taxing for a veteran roster and provides little opportunity for practice time.

“We’ve got to be better,” Jayson Tatum said. “It’s still a long season. Nobody’s panicking. We’ve got to navigate the emotional roller coaster of the NBA season. It feels a lot worse than it actually is. We’re not panicking or anything. We’ve just got to man up and look in the mirror and figure out some things that we’ve got to do better at. Everybody’s fully capable, and we’ve always done a really good job of responding, and I have no doubt that we will. So I’m not panicking, but we’ve got to be better, and we will.”

There’s more from Boston:

Tatum provided an explanation of the illness that made him a late scratch for Monday’s game against Orlando, Robb adds in a separate story. He described it as a “a 24-hour, 48-hour bug” that began to affect him after warmups. He was still feeling some effects from the virus on Wednesday, even though he managed to post 32 points and 15 rebounds in 41 minutes. “Maybe a little fatigued, I guess, from being sick the last few days, but I’m just trying to push through it, catch my second wind, things like that,” Tatum said.
The Celtics weren’t able to provide much information on a left ankle injury that sidelined Kristaps Porzingis for the second half of Wednesday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis seemed to tweak the ankle early in the contest, but he was able to keep playing before having his status downgraded at halftime. “I noticed that he played through it,” Mazzulla told reporters after the game. “I asked him how he was. He said he was okay and then he got re-evaluated at halftime. But I haven’t heard anything.” Porzingis didn’t talk to reporters, but Terada observed that he didn’t seem to have much protection on the ankle in the locker room.
Jaden Springer hasn’t played much since the Celtics acquired him in a February trade, but the fourth-year shooting guard tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe that being in Boston has been a good learning experience. “I’ve grown a lot,” Springer said. “Coming to a different organization you get to see a different way of basketball. Everyone plays a different style, so coming here you learn new things, pick up on new styles of play, and playing behind another great group of guys. (Jaylen Brown), (Tatum), Jrue (Holiday), Derrick White, (Porzingis), Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, a bunch of guys. So being able to learn from them and watch them every night, it’s been pretty big for me.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Mazzulla, Porzingis, Trade Priority

December 21st, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics star Jayson Tatum grew up as a huge admirer of Kobe Bryant, so he was excited about the chance to join the Lakers in the 2017 draft, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. However, Tatum never got a tryout with L.A., which held the second overall pick, even though he was one considered one of the draft’s top prospects following a stellar freshman season at Duke.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson, who served as team president at the time, explained this week that they were already set at forward with Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. on the roster and were focused on finding backcourt help.

“Yeah, I think I was upset at the time that there wasn’t genuine interest,” Tatum said. “From my perspective, I grew up the biggest Kobe fan and wanted to play for the Lakers. And Magic explained it. They had too many forwards and that was their thought process at the time. It wasn’t like I got any animosity toward Magic or the Lakers. It was just as a kid, I was close to accomplishing a life-long dream, the way I thought it would be.”

The draft played out perfectly for Boston, which landed Tatum with the No. 3 pick after trading down from No. 1. Tatum is already a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection, while Markelle Fultz, who went to Philadelphia with the top pick, is currently out of the league, and Lonzo Ball, whom the Lakers took at No. 2, recently resumed playing in Chicago after missing more than two full years with a knee issue.

“Obviously it worked out best-case scenario,” Tatum added. “But I love Magic Johnson. I love what he means to the game. I have no hard feelings toward him. Every time I see him, it’s always love. It’s just something that happened and it’s probably a million stories throughout the NBA that guys should have went or thought they were going somewhere. Everything happened for a reason.”

There’s more from Boston:

Coach Joe Mazzulla, who was fined $35K for “aggressively pursuing” an official following Thursday’s loss to Chicago, talked to his players before this morning’s shootaround about the importance of staying in control and not overreacting to bad calls, Washburn adds in the same piece. “It’s a long year, so whatever the keys are not only to games but to how you want to go about the season,” Mazzulla said. “It’s just small reminders, always good to refresh those.”
Kristaps Porzingis has been removed from the injury report for tonight’s rematch with the Bulls, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis was originally listed as questionable with a right heel contusion he suffered Sunday at Washington.
Assuming the big-man rotation stays healthy, finding veteran wing depth should be the Celtics’ priority in any trade before the deadline, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. He notes that Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman and Jaden Springer haven’t inspired confidence that they can be reliable during the playoffs.

Celtics Notes: Walsh, Porzingis, Pritchard, Springer

December 14th, 2024 at 6:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Walsh impressed Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla with his willingness to play in Thursday’s win over Detroit, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The second-year forward was given the option to miss the game because of bruised ribs, but the team was already without Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser. Walsh decided to play, even though it meant additional stress on his aching ribcage.

“I was explaining to him, when you’re a young guy and you’re banged up a little bit, it’s easy to sit out a game because you’re not expected to play all the time,” Mazzulla said. “And I was telling him about Jayson and Jaylen (Brown) and these guys, when they’re banged up, they don’t have a choice. They have to play and they have to deliver. And I said that’s the hard part, the mentality and the mind-set that young guys have a hard time delivering when they’re not at their best. I thought it was a huge development for him to do that, to work to do that. It just comes from the environment. It comes from how the locker room holds themselves to a high standard. So I think the environment is a big piece in the development.”

A second-round pick in 2023, Walsh has seen an expanded role after spending most of his rookie year in the G League and appearing in just nine NBA games. He has gotten into 17 so far this season, although playing time is still hard to come by on one of the league’s best rosters. He’s averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per night.

“I feel like everything you do here builds a reputation, so if I go and sit out when I was supposed to play, now I’m soft,” Walsh said. “Now I’m trying to find a reason to be out. It’s like, nah, I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be the guy who’s always trying to find a way to get in, to play more and be more active. That’s what I want to go for.”

There’s more from Boston:

The exuberance that Kristaps Porzingis shows on the court stems from his love of playing for the Celtics, per Khari Thompson of The Boston Globe. Porzingis started his career in New York, then spent time with Dallas and Washington before being traded to Boston last summer. “I definitely enjoy playing here like crazy,” he said. “… Obviously, now you guys see me smiling and happy, but I would say this is how I’ve been most of my career. It’s just now that I’m on a bigger stage and everybody can see how I play and how I enjoy the game.”
Payton Pritchard is considered one of the favorites for Sixth Man of the Year honors, but he told reporters, including Souichi Terada of MassLive, that it’s not a priority for him. “It’s not something I really think about,” Pritchard said. “If I’m fortunate enough to win, that’s I guess a testament to the hard work I put in and I think it just means that I helped this team coming off the bench and doing my job at a high level. It’s not something like if I don’t win or win, it’s not make-or-break it for me.”
The Celtics’ interest in trading Jaden Springer in October was likely sparked by Lonnie Walker‘s strong preseason, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. The team reportedly would have needed to attach draft assets to get someone to take Springer, so he remained on the roster while Walker was waived. Robb adds that Springer’s $4MM expiring contract could be useful if Boston wants to make a trade before the deadline.

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