If you cursed under your breath when you saw a grinning Kristaps Porzingis featured on Latvia's roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, we don't blame you.
Celtics fans have reason to be nervous about Porzingis competing internationally right after his trade to Boston. The C's lost Danilo Gallinari in essentially the same scenario last summer, when the newly-acquired big man suffered a torn ACL competing for Team Italy in the FIBA Qualifiers. Gallinari missed the entire 2022-23 season and never played a game for Boston.
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So, why should we feel good about Porzingis -- who has missed at least 15 games in six consecutive NBA seasons -- competing overseas under the same circumstances?
For starters, Porzingis isn't Gallinari; he's just 27 years old with seven NBA seasons under his belt compared to Gallinari's 13. The 7-foot-3 big man also doesn't have a ton of tread on his tires: He's played in just 402 NBA regular season games -- 68 fewer than his new teammate, Jaylen Brown, who was drafted a year later -- and has just 10 total playoff games under his belt. So, it's not like Porzingis plays deep into May or June every year.
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You could also argue he'll benefit from the playoff-like atmosphere of the FIBA World Cup. Porzingis is the clear star on an underdog Latvia squad competing in its first-ever World Cup, and he'll need to elevate his game if Latvia wants to advance out of the group stage.
Recent history has told us he's up to the challenge, too; check out his stats for Team Latvia in a pair of FIBA Qualifier wins that helped his country punch its ticket to the 2023 tournament:
- 111-85 win over Turkey: 22 minutes, 22 points (6-13 FG), 14 rebounds, 6 blocks
- 87-80 win over Great Britain: 30 minutes, 29 points (9-12 FG), 14 rebounds
That leads us to our final point: Selfishly, Celtics fans should want to see their new acquisition in action. Porzingis is a game-changer on both ends when healthy, and the FIBA World Cup would give C's supporters their first glimpse of what "The Unicorn" brings to the table.
As the lone Celtics player competing in this year's World Cup -- which runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 -- Porzingis would give Celtics fans something to get excited about later this summer, even if they hold they hold their breath when he takes the court.