Kristaps Porzingis was quiet offensively in Game 1 but the blueprint is there for a bounce-back

Game 1 of a playoff series is generally thought of as the feel-out game. Each team has an opportunity to see what works, and identify where there’s room for adjustments.

Kristaps Porzingis’ opening performance was a bit of a mixed bag. Defensively, his size, length and instincts visibly bothered Magic ballhandlers. His floor-spacing ability opened up driving lanes and stretched the defense, but he struggled to find avenues to impact the game as a scorer.

Orlando was able to take a lot of options off the table for Porzingis, due in large part to their positional size and defensive connectivity. He finished with 5 points on 1-of-8 shooting.

On one of the first possessions of the game, the Celtics drew a switch to get 6’3” Cory Joseph on the much larger Porzingis. This would be an excellent mismatch to exploit, if Orlando didn’t immediately cover it up.

Without much effort required, Paolo kicks Joseph out of the action and takes Porzingis for himself. Ironically, this is the only possession that KP converted, but Boston isn’t going to stall their offense for deep, contested step-backs. This isn’t an unfamiliar area for Porzingis to attack from, but it allows for the Magic to scram switch a weaker defender out before there’s any threat to compromise the defense.

A more dangerous look could be achieved by changing the floor balance, courtesy of the empty ball screen.

On this possession, Boston cleared out a side for Derrick White and Porzingis to run a pick & roll. With the Magic opting to switch, it gives KP a ton of space to roll into. The only player in position to help is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but his rotation creates a chain-reaction that Boston can use to send Orlando into rotation.

With KCP sliding over, Paolo Banchero has to zone up between Brown and Horford. Paolo does a good job splitting the difference, but a pass to either Celtic would put Orlando in scramble mode. Another answer here is for Porzingis to simply take the shot. He has a window, and has made a career out of shooting over guys.

In reality, the end result is less enjoyable, but it’s the setup that makes this noteworthy.

Instead of the aforementioned alternatives, Porzingis makes the fatal mistake of putting the ball on the floor while surrounded by two guards. This error isn’t caused by the action itself, rather the speed at which Porzingis is processing at.

Even with the turnover, Boston’s process here is more sustainable than the earlier possession that ended in a make. Good process is something that can be relied on to steady the ship if the shot-making goes cold.

If Porzingis can speed up his decision-making to match playoff tempo, there’s a lot of value that gets unlocked by attacking an empty side.

Boston goes to it again early in the clock, clearing a side for Holiday and Porzingis. A defensive mix-up leaves Tatum momentarily unguarded. He beats Paolo on the closeout, and has KP rolling with nobody left to tag. The pass is off-target, but the right idea is there.

Orlando is a physical, well-coached defensive team. They have the tools to make Porzingis’ life difficult, but he is far too talented to let that phase him for a full series.

Last year, Kristaps had a nearly identical poor-shooting night against Miami, finishing 1-9 from the field. He followed that up with an efficient 18 points. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar bounce-back game from him on Wednesday.

The Celtics’ staff can help by putting him in more favorable scoring positions, but it’s on Porzingis to execute. That’s not a big ask for a guy that dropped an offensive masterclass in the NBA Finals after sitting out for few months.

Boston may not need his scoring to get through this series, but if Porzingis catches up to the speed of play, Orlando could be out of answers before they know it.