The Atlanta Hawks are undoubtedly better now that they have added Kristaps Porzingis to their core. At the same time, however, they have made it crystal clear they do not fully trust him to be there when they need him.
The Boston Celtics committed highway robbery when they pulled off a sign-and-trade to turn Marcus Smart into Kristaps Porzingis and two first-round picks. He played an integral role in their 5-out offensive dominance; his combination of shooting and paint protection unlocked a new ceiling on both ends of the court for the Celtics.
Yet even with the impact that he made, he was also out of the lineup with a worrying frequency during his Boston tenure. From nagging injuries to bizarre illnesses, Porzingis could not stay on the court. When it was time to make a trade to shed money, Porzingis was the natural choice because of his unreliability.
The Hawks were in a position to take advantage of the Celtics' need to offload salary, and in the process they got an elite two-way big man. Porzingis will give the Hawks something they have not truly had, a stretch center who can also defend the interior. It's like having Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns together in one player.
Putting Porzingis on the back line mitigates the pain of Trae Young's defense on the perimeter and frees up the likes of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels to be even more aggressive going for the ball. On offense, suddenly Young has a true pick-and-pop partner to stretch defenses, and players like Young, Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson have space to get to the rim.
The problem, however, is the injury history. The Hawks cannot afford to hope that Porzingis stays healthy; history suggests that he will not. That means they need a backup plan.
The Hawks don't trust Porzingis to stay healthy
The Hawks have retained Onyeka Okongwu, who was on track to be the full-time starter and replace Clint Capela. Now he will be in a timeshare at best, and as Porzingis's direct backup at worse. It's a strong position for the Hawks to be in given their new center's injury history with a starter-level center as their backup.
Behind them, however, there is a gaping hole. Mouhamed Gueye hasn't made much of a difference in the league yet. First-round pick Asa Newell is more of a pure 4 than someone who can survive at the 5. Summer League star Eli N'Diaye won't be ready for consistent minutes this season and is on a two-way contract.
The Hawks need another center. They know this. They are recruiting Al Horford to return to Atlanta. They are canvassing the league for potential low-end trades. There needs to be someone ready for rotation minutes in the 15-35 games this season that Porzingis misses. This isn't a break-in-case-of-emergency luxury; this player will have a real role this season.
The Hawks haven't found that big man yet, but there are still plenty of names available in free agency and they will likely find their guy before too long. The question is whether he will be capable of standing in the gap when Porzingis is sidelined. Because it absolutely will happen.
If the Hawks trusted Porzingis, they may ride into next season secure in their up-and-coming options. That they are not says all that you need to know about what they expect from Porzingis this year.