The Washington Wizards benefitted a lot from Kristaps Porzingis in the past year. He was able to make a huge jump as a three-level scorer on offense and thrived as a defender despite being hunted on drop coverage. The unicorn was at the peak of his strength last year but Kyle Kuzma knew this was not the most ideal situation for him. Porzingis would then get traded to the title-contending Boston Celtics. Expectations of a production drop because of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown being around were to be expected. But, that was not the case.

Kristaps Porzingis came out blazing hot for the Celtics. He then faced off against his former teammates in the Wizards system. Kyle Kuzma outlined what it felt like going up against him again. He also revealed why he loved every bit of the matchup, via Taylor Snow of the Celtics.

“He made a huge impact here and was a good locker room guy. Everybody loved him. I'm happy for him. He has a chance to really do something that he wants to do in his career. He has never had the opportunity to play on a contending team,” were the words that the Wizards forward let out after their defeat.

Porzingis only notched 15 points and six rebounds against the Wizards. But, he was able to deliver an insane 30-point performance along with Jayson Tatum's scoring explosion against the New York Knicks. His absence from the squad is clearly missed not just in rim protection and other facets of the game. Porzingis' laid-back persona might have made him more lovable to his former team.