Kristaps Porzingis, a forward for the Boston Celtics, is thrilled with his new team. Porzingis made his Boston Celtics debut on Sunday, a 114-106 preseason victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Porzingis scored 17 points and grabbed five boards while wearing his new gear.

Porzingis said after the game that having Boston’s best player Jayson Tatum on his team has helped him out tremendously.

“Jayson draws so much attention, it just opens things up for me,” Porzingis was quoted as saying by the Celtics. “This is the ideal situation for me.”

It’s true that Jayson Tatum, as the head of the Celtics’ snake, receives a lot of defensive focus from opponents. However, that’s before taking into account the help Tatum receives from his talented supporting cast, which includes All-NBA guard Jaylen Brown, solid role players in Derrick White and newly acquired All-Star guard Jrue Holiday.

The Celtics’ offseason acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis from the Washingtоn Wizards should provide him with more open shots and more space to operate than he’s ever had before in his career.

Following last year’s devastating Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat in seven games, Boston is hoping to make amends this season. Porzingis will make life difficult for opposition teams in 2023-24, but it is uncertain whether he will help the Celtics solve their biggest issue, their late-game execution, which was dreadful throughout last year’s playoffs.