Kristaps Porzingis will be available for the Atlanta Hawks for Monday night’s matchup against the Miami Heat.
As Hawks fans around the world read this news, they could finally a sigh of relief. The team’s season went downhill remarkably quickly after December 1st despite a red-hot start, in large part due to Porzingis’s string of absences.
How did we get here?
The Hawks had three centers to start the season: Porzingis, Onyeka Okongwu, and N’Faly Dante. Porzingis, however, has played in just five of Atlanta’s last 32 games. Over this 2+ month stretch, the Hawks predictably fell from grace.
Okongwu has done a fine job this season and has exceeded my expectations for him, particularly as a shooter from deep. However, he cannot be the only center in your lineup. He can only play so many minutes, and even when in, he’s the shortest center in the NBA.
Dante was an attractive option for Atlanta to acquire this offseason, particularly due to just how cheap it was to acquire him. He clearly was not ready for the NBA yet, however, and Snyder played him scarcely despite Porzingis’s injury woes. As the final blow, Dante tore his ACL, removing the possibility of him contributing to this team.
The Hawks signed Christian Koloko to fill their void at center and instantly went on a four-game win streak. It’s clear that the only thing holding Atlanta back was its big man depth; in fact, the streak was only ended when the Hawks lost another center to injury.
In a victory over the Boston Celtics, Okongwu suffered a horrifying “dental fracture” after being catching a stray elbow from Jalen Brown. Consequently, with only one center on the roster yet again, the team has skid to a two-game losing streak.
Porzingis’s impact cannot be understated
By all available metrics, Porzingis is by far the most impactful player on this roster. He is still an incredible isolation scorer, typically working out of the high post. He’s lived on an incredibly difficult shot diet this season, ranking in the 94th percentile of “creation” shot attempts among centers, yet he’s still converted these looks at a remarkable 10.8% above league average. That's elite stuff right there.
He isn’t perfect defensively, but he does his job remarkably well. Porzingis cannot move his feet as quickly as the league's quick guards or even many forwards. What he can do is stand 7’2 tall in the paint with a surprisingly strong ability to absorb contact for his lean frame. In drop coverage and when defending the rim, there are few that rival Porzingis’s abilities.
Most importantly, Porzingis is a center! Atlanta has had nine games with two centers available since December 1st. Their record in these games? 7-2.
When the Hawks have a fully-staffed big man unit, they are a surprisingly potent team. When they are playing natural fours at the five, they are doomed. Now that Porzingis is back, expect yet another Hawks win streak.