Teams that have playoff success with Kristaps Porzingis on the roster have one common thread: they all had reliable depth behind the unicorn.
Porzingis is a brilliant player who solves many of the Atlanta Hawks' biggest problems. He can score on all three levels, defend the paint, and open the floor for his teammates. His only true weakness is his health - he's averaged just 56 games played a season over his career.
The Boston Celtics understood this when they acquired Porzingis. They supported him with a center rotation of Al Horford and Luke Kornet, who make up a solid center rotation by themselves. When Porzingis was available, the team was an unstoppable machine; when he missed time, they could survive.
Atlanta must find their third center
When Porzingis is healthy, the center rotation of him and Onyeka Okongwu is more than capable of supporting Atlanta's lofty ambitions. However, behind Okongwu lies a field of questionable center options.
The Hawks currently have Mouhamed Gueye, N'Faly Dante, and Charles Bassey as third string center options. Dante and Bassey, however, are on mostly nonguaranteed deals, meaning they could be cut before the season begins.
Gueye is a very interesting prospect for Atlanta. Originally an offense-first prospect, he has redefined his game to be a quietly elite rim protector. He averaged a block a game last season on just 16.2 minutes a night. However, Gueye has very limited NBA experience, and many of his minutes been in lineups featuring Okongwu.
Gueye has not proven he is ready to play a serious playoff role in the event of an injury to Porzingis. While this does not mean he cannot rise to the occasion this year, it is incredibly risky to roll with Gueye as the third string center in a depth chart starring Porzingis.
The same can be said for Dante, whose NBA career consists of merely four games. Where the two diverge is in their style of play. Gueye is a thin center with impressive lateral and vertical athleticism and has real potential as a shooter. Alternatively, Dante is a traditional big-bodied center whose strength enables his solid interior defense and paint scoring ability.
Charles Bassey, on the other hand, has the NBA experience the former two players lack. Bassey is entering the fifth season of his career and has established himself as a special rebounding talent. He has proven to be a reliable regular season innings-eater, but in a playoff scenario he would likely be Atlanta's biggest weakness.
None of these players provide attractive options for the Hawks' critical third string center role. Perhaps Onsi Saleh knows something we don't and believes one of these players is primed for a leap next season. Barring a spectacular leap, however, Atlanta will need a one-year rental on a center who can play serious playoff minutes, yet won't mind playing in a limited role with Porzingis healthy.
With the free agency market dried up, this player will have to be found on the trade or buyout market.