JJ Redick is making the most of his retirement time. His podcast “The Old Man and the Three” is going viral. Kristaps Porzingis appeared as a guest on his most recent show. Redick and Porzingis were teammates in Dallas, which they discussed, but they also discussed his current team, the Boston Celtics, his time with the Knicks, and his brief stint in Washington. Despite numerous injuries during his career, Porzingis has always been a good player. 

KP had the best season of his career in DC, according to Redick, averaging a career-high 23 points per game. Porzingis discussed how, while playing alongside Luka Doni in Dallas, he didn’t get many offensive touches. You want to feel engaged on the offensive side as an offensive player, and it will affect your overall play. It didn’t help that Porzingis was coming off a significant injury and was still figuring out his rhythm.

Former teammates also discussed how there was a perception that Porzingis was soft and not living up to his full ability. But that changed when he was traded to the Washington Wizards. 

Playing alongside Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, both willing passers, Porzingis thrived and shot over 50% from the field (49.8), a career high at the time. He had a career-high offensive win share rating of 5.0 and an overall win share total of 7.7. His true shooting percentage was.627, which was also a career high.

Last season, Porzingis finished second in the league in points per direct post-up, according to Redick. In fact, when KP was on the court, the Wizards averaged 125.3 points per 100 possessions. For all players who received at least two post touches per game, that metric ranked third in the league. In addition to his statistical gains, he set a career high with 43 points. Anyone who watched the Wizards games last season could see the difference in his playing. He appeared more active, chasing for shots, looking to make plays on both ends of the field, and overall playing with a zest he hadn’t shown since his days in New York. 

Because of the Wizards’ lack of focus, Redick believes that people were unaware that Porzingis had his best season last year. He was disregarded because of the losing situation and should have been an all-star. Since Beal in 2020-21, the franchise hasn’t had an all-star. KP’s style of play from the center position is something the Wizards haven’t seen since Chris Webber played there in the 1990s. Most Wizards supporters wish they could have had Porzingis longer and wish him the best in Boston.