It’s often said that health is one of the biggest X factors in a team’s postseason run. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have on your roster; if they can’t stay healthy, well, it’s not gonna work out well for you, Jack.
The Boston Celtics somewhat spat in the face of that mindset last season. Kristaps Porzingis missed most of the Celtics’ postseason run. Yet, Joe Mazzulla’s steamroller continued to squash every soul that stood in front of it. Nineteen games, and in 11 of them, the Celtics held opponents to under 100 points.
Yet, as hard as it is to wrap your head around, Porzingis is a ceiling-raiser, not a key cog.