Championship Ready? Kristaps Porzingis Believes Celtics Are ‘Close’

It wouldn’t be overly negative to say the Boston Celtics need to win the 2024 NBA Finals to avoid being labeled as a disappointment.

That’s just what happens in situations like these.

The Celtics have seemingly checked off every box you could expect out of an eventual champion. They’ve got a roster full of All-Star talent, with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Al Horford being joined by Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis this offseason. They’ve been through the disappointment of losing, dropping their 2022 NBA Finals matchup with the Golden State Warriors and just missing out on becoming the first team in league history to come back from an 0-3 deficit in their matchup with the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals. Tatum is entering the point in his career where winning is all that’s left to separate himself from the NBA’s other top stars.

In short, there are no more excuses. If now isn’t the Celtics’ time, then when?

If you were hoping the answer is soon, you’d probably like what Porzingis had to say in his recent appearance on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and the Three” podcast.

“I feel the culture,” Porzingis said of his early time with the Celtics. “The history here is very strong, right? These guys have already built something that is very close to winning it all, and coming into this environment is just a different energy. We all know what the goal is here and it just adds more motivation. It adds more to my passion, to my drive, just being around this environment and these people that want to achieve the ultimate goal.”

It’s been a solid start for the Celtics, who despite being booted from the NBA In-Season Tournament, own the second-best record in the league at 15-5.

Boston has a long way to go before it can be considered “close” to actually winning a championship, but Porzingis clearly believes he and the C’s are on their way.