“That guy there was a flop in Dallas” - Michael Cooper disapproves of the Celtics trade to acquire Kristaps Porzingis
A three-way deal in which the Boston Celtics received Kristaps Porzingis in exchange for Marcus Smart was one of the biggest moves made in the 2023 offseason. While many believe that the 7'3 Forward/Center who has averaged his best stats in the 2022–23 season, is an immediate improvement over the previous DPOY in terms of title chances, but Michael Cooper strongly disagrees.
During his appearance on ‘Showtime With Coop podcast', the five-time NBA champion slammed the Celtics for acquiring Porzingis, pointing out that the former No. 4 pick was a 'flop show' for Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards.
“Who the hell is he? The one thing I’ll say about him is that he looks like a Celtic. That guy there was a flop in Dallas, was a flop in Washington,” Cooper continued. “This guy was brought over from Europe. He is probably here to be a marquee player.”
Is Michael Cooper’s assessment of Porzingis valid?
In 65 games during the 2022–23 regular season, Porzingis averaged a career-high 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks but was still unable to guide the Wizards into the postseason. Even though some could claim that Washington never had the team to improve upon Porzingis' success, Cooper tried to point out that there was no pressure on him to do well the previous year.
However, in Boston, the one-time All-Star will be under continual scrutiny as expectations will not only be to equal Smart's drive and determination but also display the supremacy of his height by enabling Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to do their sheer best.
The Latvian hasn't been able to maintain consistency in such a manner previously in his career.
Kristaps Porzingis struggles with injuries
The addition of Porzingis lessens the dependence on veteran Al Horford. Furthermore, the pairing of Porzingis and Robert Williams provides a diverse frontcourt rotation that head coach Joe Mazula can use to execute various offensive plays.
Although Porzingis has a unique skill set, he is undoubtedly one of the most injury-prone players in the modern-day NBA. He has a history of leg and foot problems, including an ACL injury that kept him out of action for over a season. In addition, he has already opted out of the FIBA World Cup because of plantar fasciitis. Due to the same injury, the 28-year-old's availability for the 2023-24 NBA season is still unknown.
