Kanter signed a two-year agreement with the Celtics over the offseason and went on to start for them on Opening Night, Oct. 23, posting 12 points, six rebounds and two assists against Philadelphia. Kanter went on to start six more times over the course of his 58 appearances during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign, averaging 8.1 points with 7.4 rebounds and a career-high 0.7 blocks per game. On Dec. 20, Kanter grabbed 18 rebounds in a home win over the Pistons. A week and a half later, on New Year's Eve in Charlotte, Kanter came off the bench and posted a career-high six blocks to accompany 13 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. On Jan. 11 against the Pelicans, Kanter scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed a season-best 19 rebounds despite coming off the bench. During a Mar. 4 win at Cleveland, Kanter posted his ninth and final double-double of the season, collecting 10 points and 11 boards in just 14 minutes of play. All in all, he pulled down double-digit boards on 14 occasions -- five of which came in less than 20 minutes of court time. The Turkish center went on to play in 11 of Boston's 17 playoff games, contributing 4.5 points and 3.9 boards over 9.3 minutes per contest.

Kanter started the 2018-19 season with the Knicks before moving on to Portland, continuing to deliver the efficient scoring and prolific rebounding for which he's become known. Still just 26 years old, the eight-year veteran averaged 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds across 44 (23 starts) games for the Knicks. Kanter's time with the Knicks included the two biggest rebounding games of his career. On Nov. 5 against Chicago, he racked up 23 points and 24 rebounds. Then, on Nov. 25, he set a new career high with 26 rebounds to accompany 21 points against Memphis. Despite the quality numbers, the Knicks opted to release Kanter just after the February trade deadline. Six days later, he signed with Portland to back up Jusuf Nurkic at center. Kanter's role expanded in late March once Portland lost Nurkic lost for the season due to a leg injury. The Turkish big man went on to start eight of the last nine games of the season, averaging 18.1 points and 11.4 boards per contest in that span. All in all, he averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 boards across 23 games (eight starts) in his new digs. For the season, he delivered 33 double-doubles -- 26 of which came as a Knick. His season high in scoring came with the Knicks, too -- 29 points against Brooklyn on Oct. 29. The Blazers went on to make the playoffs, with Kanter starting 14 of their 16 games in their run to the Western Conference Finals. Kanter double-doubled five more times in the playoffs, most impressively picking up 20 points and 18 boards in Game 1 of the first round against his old team, the Thunder.

Traded to the Knicks as part of a deal for Carmelo Anthony prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, Kanter became a starter in New York after coming off the bench for two straight years in Oklahoma City. He excelled with the extra minutes, averaging 14.1 points and an easily career-high 11.0 rebounds -- good for sixth league-wide -- across 71 games (all starts). With Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. drawing plenty of defensive attention away, Kanter posted a career-high field-goal percentage of 59.2, which ranked fifth in the NBA. The Turkish veteran also shot over 80 percent from the line for the first time in his career, posting an impressive 84.8 mark. His biggest game of the year came against the Sixers on Christmas, when Kanter posted a season-high 31 points along with a career-high-tying 22 rebounds. He went on to post a 20-point, 20-rebound game against Brooklyn on Jan. 30, marking his fourth 20-20 game in the NBA. Kanter ultimately produced 16 games of at least 15 boards and 39 double-doubles. He also scored in double digits 62 times on the year.

Kanter came off the bench for the Thunder in 2016-17, appearing in 72 games in total. Despite seeing similar minutes to the year before (21.3 per game, just barely up from 21.0), he actually raised his scoring average to a career-high 14.3 points alongside 6.7 rebounds per game. On a per-36-minute basis, that comes out to 24.3 points and 11.3 rebounds. Kanter's high shooting efficiency helped him make the most of his limited opportunities, as his 54.6 field-goal percentage ranked 11th in The Association. He double-doubled in 24 minutes off the bench in the season opener against the Sixers on Oct. 26, racking up 17 points and 12 rebounds. Kanter went on to pick up four double-doubles in the first nine games of the year and 19 overall on the season. On Jan. 15, he scored a season-high 29 points with 12 rebounds, a steal and a block. Kanter collected a season-high 13 boards twice, double-doubling both times. In late-January, the veteran suffered fractured right ulna in his forearm, undergoing surgery and missing 10 games, though his production remained steady upon his return. Come playoff time, Kanter saw less usage than usual, averaging just 9.1 minutes per game in the Thunder's first-round loss to Houston. However, he managed to score 10 points in just 10 minutes on the court in Game 3 of that series.

After re-signing with Oklahoma City over the offseason, Kanter appeared in all 82 regular season contests in 2015-16, but unlike the year before, he was stuck in a bench role all season long, making just one start. Even so, Kanter averaged a remarkable 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds despite playing only 21.0 minutes per game -- good for remarkable per-36-minute averages of 21.7 points and 13.9 boards. Despite the reduction in playing time, Kanter shot a career-high 57.6 percent from the field, which ranked fourth in The Association, and he pulled down the 18th-most total rebounds (664), including the fifth-most offensive rebounds (249). He also compiled 25 double-doubles, 24 of which came off the bench. In his sole start of the year, Kanter played nearly 36 minutes and racked up a career-high 33 points with a season-high 20 rebounds Apr. 6 against Portland. That made him the first player in franchise history to notch 30 points and 20 boards in a game. Kanter and the Thunder reached the playoffs, and though the Turkish veteran came off the bench throughout their run to the Western Conference Finals, he still delivered some impressive performances. Kanter double-doubled with 16 points and 13 rebounds in Game 1 of the first round against Dallas. He went on to score 21 points in Game 3, then 28 -- on 12-of-13 shooting -- in Game 4, which would stand up as his postseason career high.

Kanter started the 2014-15 season with the Jazz, but despite having worked his way into a full-time starting role for the first time in his four NBA seasons, he was dealt to the Thunder at the trade deadline. Kanter had been in the midst of his best season yet before the trade, averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds for Utah. The deal turned out to be a boon, though, as the Turkish big man claimed a starting role in Oklahoma City right away and took his productivity to another level. Over 26 games (all starts) in his new digs, Kanter averaged a double-double with 18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. All told, he averaged 15.5 points and 8.9 boards for the year, easily outpacing his old career highs in those categories. Kanter shot 56.6 percent from the field after the deal, lifting his season rate to 51.9 -- good for 10th in the NBA. He also finished fourth overall in offensive rebounds with 277 and 17th in total rebounds with 671. Kanter scored 20 or more points 18 times on the year -- 12 of which came after the trade. That included his biggest game of the year: a 30-point, 16-rebound performance Apr. 1 against Dallas. When it was all said and done, he racked up 31 double-doubles, including another particularly noteworthy effort Mar. 15 against the Bulls in which he pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds to go with 18 points.

After showing promise in a limited role for the first two seasons of his career, Kanter stepped up into far greater responsibility in 2013-14, and his stats rocketed up accordingly. Kanter started a career-high 37 times among his 80 games on the court. He delivered, blowing away his old numbers with 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds across 26.7 minutes per game. The former No. 3 pick was reliable from the field (49.1 percent) and from the free-throw line (73.0 percent). Naturally, Kanter's numbers were even better when he was in the starting lineup, as he averaged 14.4 points and 8.5 boards in those 37 games. He scored 20 or more points 12 times among 53 games in double digits. The Turkish big man also racked up 27 games with double-digit rebounds, with 24 of them resulting in double-doubles. In a win over the Bucks on March 3, Kanter collected a career-high 27 points along with 14 rebounds. On April 8, he picked up a season-high 19 rebounds to go with 15 points against the Mavericks. Kanter also matched his career high with four blocks Dec. 7 against the Kings.

Kanter spent his sophomore season backing up veteran big men Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap, appearing in 70 games (two starts) for the Jazz. He saw a modest increase in playing time over his rookie season, spending 14.5 minutes per game on the court. Kanter's numbers rose accordingly, as he lifted his scoring averge to 7.2, his rebounding to 4.3, and his blocks per game to 0.5. His field-goal percentage shot up to 54.4 percent -- nearly a five-point leap from his rookie season. On Dec. 7, he made his first NBA start, recording 18 points, eight rebounds and a block. In Kanter's other start, Mar. 1 against Charlotte, he posted the game of his career. Over 44 minutes on the court, Kanter exploded for career highs with 23 points and 22 rebounds. He double-doubled again three days later against Milwaukee, collecting 18 points and 10 boards off the bench. That was his second big game in a span of less than a month against the Bucks; on Feb. 6, he set a personal best with four blocks while barely missing a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds in only 17 minutes off the bench, resulting in a 14-point home win. Kanter scored in double digits 22 times and reached the 15-point threshold nine times.

The Jazz took the 19-year-old Kanter third overall in the 2011 NBA Draf, and he went on to appear in all 66 games of the lockout-shortened season. The Turkish center largely served as the backup to Al Jefferson, averaging 4.6 points and 4.2 boards in 13.2 minutes per contest, as he came off the bench in every single appearance he made that season. However, his per-36-minute averages of 12.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks suggested bigger stat lines to come in Kanter's future. Even in limited action, Kanter impressed early on, pulling down 11 rebounds in 21 minutes on the court in his NBA debut on Dec. 27. He went on to deliver three more games with double-digit boards on the year. On Mar. 18, Kanter scored a season-high 17 points along with eight rebounds in almost 23 minutes of action against the Lakers. Then, on Apr. 26, the final day of the season, he recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds against Portland for his first career double-double. Kanter went on to appear off the bench in all four playoff games for the Jazz. He recorded eight points, 10 rebounds and a block in Game 2 of their series against San Antonio.