Celtics could be unstoppable once Kristaps Porzingis returns

Kristaps Porzingis is getting closer to making his season debut. On Monday, the Boston Celtics announced he would participate in the Maine Celtics practice session. The Celtics may be 11-3 to begin the season, but it's clear they've been missing their star center. Porzingis brings a different dimension to the Celtics' rotation. He takes their rim protection to another level and gives their offense a turbo charge, both on the perimeter and around the rim. 

During a recent interview with SportsCasting's DJ Siddiqi, Holiday explained why Porzingis has become Boston's X-Factor. 

"He’s unguardable,” Holiday said. “When he came into the league, they called him the unicorn. He’s a 7-2 shooter, he can shoot from 25 feet out. You can’t switch on him, because if you’re too small, he’s gonna shoot over you. Bigs can’t necessarily guard him or target him because he spaces the floor. He opens up the floor for driving lanes and passing lanes...He can finish around the rim. He draws fouls, he pretty much does everything. Losing that impact was hard on us, but we have a lot of players who step up to the plate and do our best to kind of add to whatever we lost.”

Neemias Queta is the Celtics' latest breakout player. He's been making a significant impact in an expanded role, which is likely afforded to him because of Porzingis' absence. However, once the All-Star is back in the rotation, it will be interesting to see if Queta is still given playing time or whether he slides back down the pecking order. 

Regardless of what happens with Boston's big-man rotation, the team's fan base should be excited. Joe Mazzulla's team was at its best when Porzingis was on the court last season. In fact, the Celtics outscored their opponents by 11.8 points per 100 possessions, with Porzingis in the rotation and ranked in the 89th percentile for defense. 

The Celtics don't need Porzingis for them to be an elite team. They do need him if they want to be the clear-cut favorites to win another championship. Celtics fans should be excited for his inevitable return because when he gets his legs back under him, the team could be unstoppable.