The Boston Celtics are the defending champions in the NBA for a number of reasons. Among which is the fact that they have a talented roster led by the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They also have Derrick White and Jrue Holiday in the backcourt. But if you ask NBA legend Charles Barkley, it's Kristaps Porzingis' play that will most likely dictate the team's fate in the playoffs.

“I said last year, once they got Porzingis, the championship was a wrap,” Barkley said on NBA on TNT just before the second-round series between the Celtics and the New York Knicks on Monday night commenced.

“I said that last year. If he doesn't pick up his game, the Celtics are not going to win the championship this year. I said it before the Celtics, man, we're just wasting time. Because when Porzingis plays well, this takes this team to a whole other level. But he has not been consistent Ernie [Johnson], just like you said. But if he doesn't pick it up, they're not going to win the East.”

Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar big man Shaquille O'Neal also gave his two cents about Porzingis.

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“And the reason he's been inconsistent most of the games I've watched, he stayed out on the perimeter,” O'Neal said. “When he mixes it up, he plays okay. But if he learns how to mix up a little more, he will have better numbers and better games. But if you just stay out there on the perimeter and you're not making them, that's going to be the outcome, single digits.”

Porzingis had an uneven performance in the first round versus the Magic. The Latvian star only had five points in Game 1 of the Magic series before scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in Game 2. He got cold again in Game 3, putting up only seven points before bouncing back with a 19-point performance in Game 4. In the series-clinching Game 5 win by Boston, Porzingis only scored nine points, though, the blowout nature of the contest caused him to see action for only 21 minutes.

Overall in the Magic series, Porzingis averaged 12.0 points on just 35.2 percent shooting from the floor and a brutal 11.8 percent from deep.

The Celtics dominating Orlando despite Porzingis' inconsistency was a testament to the overall talent and depth of Boston. But Boston is simply a much harder team to beat and solve, especially offensively, when Porzingis is hitting his shots consistently and being a threat outside and inside.