Derek Fisher was Kristaps Porzingis‘s first NBA head coach. The two worked together during their time with the New York Knicks. Fisher has seen how special the multi-faceted big man is and understands what he brings to the Boston Celtics. Porzingis has had some false starts throughout his NBA career — his time with the Dallas Mavericks didn’t go to plan. And the Washington Wizards struggled to build a contending roster.
When speaking to CelticsWire, Fischer noted how Boston is an ideal situation for Porzingis at this point in his career. The Los Angeles Lakers veteran credited Brad Stevens as one of the smartest people in basketball and praised Joe Mazzulla‘s coaching style. Fisher has high hopes for his former big man and what he can achieve with the Celtics.
I’m happy for Kris that … he’s a part of such a great and well-run organization,” Fisher said. “I think Brad Stevens is one of the greatest basketball people alive; how smart he is. Not just as a person but as a coach. And now, as an executive. And I think Joe Mazzulla is the right type of coach and personality for Kristaps at this point in his career, and the team is about winning. And that’s what Kris has always been about. So I’m just happy to see him now in a situation where all those things are, are aligned.”
Porzingis is expected to have a significant role within the Celtics rotation this season.
Celtics Lab 225: On Boston looking good to start the season and what they can do to get better with Yossi Gozlan https://t.co/AKf0Pa3OF0 pic.twitter.com/2ILO3KHS72
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 28, 2023
His versatility will allow Boston’s All-NBA wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to thrive, and his size and defensive ability will also give the Celtics a new dimension to build their schemes around.
Fisher’s confidence in the Celtics organization and Porzingis’ ability is encouraging. Celtics fans will hope he’s the missing piece to finally lifting the franchise’s first banner since 2018.
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