Ex-Celtic Kristaps Porzingis shines in EuroBasket warm-up game
Former Boston Celtic Kristaps Porzingis is looking much more like himself in a warm-up game ahead of the EuroBasket tournament. Porzingis led Team Latvia in a 109-105 loss over Team Lithuania.
Porzingis dazzled in this game, scoring 22 points and notching five assists in the loss, looking much closer to the version of himself that most basketball fans have become accustomed to seeing.
The last time Porzingis stepped on the court, it was for the Celtics during the team's playoff run, which ended in the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the hands of the New York Knicks. Porzingis had been battling an undisclosed illness for the majority of the playoffs, and it affected his performance on the court in such a negative manner that head coach Joe Mazzula opted to bring him off the bench on numerous occasions.
After being such an integral part of the Celtics' championship run the year before, Porzingis averaged just 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 11 playoff games this past season (seven starts), rendering him almost unplayable for long stretches of game action.
His latest EuroBasket performance is sure to leave a sour taste in Celtics fans' mouths, especially considering that Porzingis was traded to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this offseason after his porous postseason. Perhaps all the 30-year-old needed was some extended rest to recover from his odd illness. Nonetheless, if this recent performance is any indication, Porzingis looks healthy, and letting him go — especially to another Eastern Conference rival — can't sit well with the Celtics' brass, nor the fanbase.
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