The Boston Celtics are missing an important piece from their starting five. If you’ve already guessed the Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis then brownie points for you. But jokes apart, the 29-year-old powerhouse has missed all the games so far due to his offseason surgery. The C’s hope to have their star back by December, but Jrue Holiday seems to miss him greatly.

Recently, the 2x NBA champ found himself in an awkward situation while conversing with the NBA media. Well, let’s put it this way: Jrue Holiday is emotional and misses Porzingis’ impact in their games. Thus, when asked about Kristaps’ defensive support, Holiday gave a strange response.

“Comfort. Man, it sounded weird. Comfort in him protecting the rim, knowing that having somebody down there with the ability to protect the rim and have my back if I make a mistake is always, it just builds that trust in the teammates on the defensive end.”

Isn’t that the sweetest response ever? Jrue Holiday’s thoughts ran miles after blurting out “comfort.” But well, it’s a great compliment for Kristaps Porzingis, might we add? How Holiday explains the term “comfort” and its relation to the Latvian center, speaks a lot about his importance in the team.

How is Jrue Holiday’s “comfort” teammate absence impacting the Celtics?

The good news is that Kristaps Porzingis is continuing to progress in his rehab from off-season leg surgery. He suffered a rare injury during the Celtics NBA Finals glory against the Dallas Mavericks in the previous season. Although Jrue Holiday’s teammate returned to play in the Game 5, he still underwent the surgery thus sidelining him for five-to-six months. Now that the timeline is about to reach the final lap, there is excitement about Porzingis’ return.

Meanwhile, Holiday shared: “I’m looking forward to him coming back.” He added, “Even just doing little drills here with him today, he just makes the game so much easier with his length, being able to protect the rim.” Jrue also noted: “And then obviously offensively, he makes the game so much easier for everybody – creating space for driving lanes or 3-point shots, not being able to switch off of him, or when he gets a switch, him being able to take advantage of that. So, can’t wait for him to come back.”

Kristaps Porzingis excelled in his first Boston season, averaging 20.1 points on career-best shooting. Despite starting 10-3 with a strong net rating, the Celtics miss his impact, especially in rim protection. Also, the opponents now shoot 65.7% within five feet, up from 60.2% last season. So, you have the stats of not having Jrue Holiday’s “comfort” player on the team.

The wait for Kristaps Porzingis is almost over (hopefully), and the excitement is off the charts! With Jrue Holiday’s “comfort” player nearing his return, the Celtics can dream bigger. His defense and scoring magic will spark a new fire, making Boston even tougher to beat.