The Boston Celtics made it clear when they traded away core members of their 2022-23 squad that they were going all-in on competing for a championship in 2024. And in the aftermath of the Celtics' 108-104 season-opening victory against the New York Knicks, it seems as though Kristaps Porzingis has made relinquishing depth worth the Celtics' while. Porzingis dropped a cool 30 points and eight rebounds to go along with four blocks, serving as the two-way inside-outside force the team envisioned when they acquired him from the Washington Wizards.

In dropping 30 against the Knicks on Wednesday night, Porzingis set the record for most points scored by a debuting Celtics player, which is no mean feat given the plethora of incredible players that have called donned the franchise's iconic green jerseys. And it's clear that, despite being injury-prone in the past, Porzingis is moving with more gusto and purpose than ever before, clearly rejuvenated by the Celtics' competitive atmosphere.

“Felt great, felt great. Honestly, I didn't feel great at first. But I was happy about the first quarter, we started off really good as a team. […] Then later in game, I had opportunities and worked back into the game, made free throws and made some shots and that's it,” Porzingis said in his postgame interview, per NBC Sports Boston. “I love the way we played. I love the way we stayed in the game, and I'm excited about what's coming ahead of us.”

While the early returns on the Kristaps Porzingis acquisition look incredible for the Celtics, as he provides the team with yet another dangerous scoring weapon to put alongside Jayson Tatum, who had 34 points on Wednesday against the Knicks, and Jaylen Brown, the depth will be a concern for the team throughout the season.

In Game 1, Porzingis had to play 38 minutes, while Tatum and Brown put in 39 and 38 minutes of work, respectively, as well. This may not be too sustainable for the Celtics in the long run. But at the very least, they know that having three legitimate offensive stars on the roster, not to mention Jrue Holiday's all-around contributions, will make them very difficult to defeat when the games matter the most.