Kristaps Porzingis headlined a busy offseason for the Atlanta Hawks, who essentially acquired the former All-Star for free while the Boston Celtics liquidated their roster. Porzingis was the final piece of what could be an elite starting five next season.
The Latvian big man brings shooting at the center position, something the Hawks have never had. Over the past three seasons, Onyeka Okongwu has made just 75 threes. While his shooting is trending in a positive direction, the threat of his three-point shot hasn't pressured defenses.
Porzingis's shooting is a major pressure on defenses. He has never made fewer than 78 threes in a season and averaged 2.5 threes a night last season, over four times greater than Okongwu's rate. This forces the opposing center to leave the paint to guard Okongwu, creating space for Atlanta's offensive threats to score.
Porzingis fundamentally changes Atlanta's offense
The domino effect of a stretch five removing the opposing center from the paint creates easy scoring opportunities for the other threats on the team. Porzingis is a top-three stretch five in the league, shooting 41.2% from deep last season while still being an interior threat.
Porzingis's post up ability has been a quiet part of his development since being traded from Dallas. Porzingis was a poor post player early in his career, drawing heavy criticism for his inability to score down low considering his physical gifts. Last season, however, he had the fourth-highest post efficiency in the league. This inside scoring improvement compounds the downstream effects of his three point shot, as teams can no longer guard him with a smaller player.
Perhaps the biggest winner of the Porzingis acquisition is Jalen Johnson, one of the most exciting young wings in the league. His athleticism and playmaking ability allow him to create advantages for himself and his teammates, notching 18.9 points and 5.0 assists per game last season. With Porzingis opening up the floor, expect another leap from Johnson next season.
Trae Young is another player whose life is made easier by Porzingis. With no proven primary creators outside of Young, he will be the backbone of the Hawks' offense next season. The space Porzingis creates will give Young the best spacing of his career to work with.
This is a critical change for Young, whose efficiency has waned over the past few seasons. His recent slump as a scorer is likely the reason the Hawks have refused to offer him a maximum extension. Surrounded by spacing and weapons, Young has the best supporting cast of his career to maximize his talents.
Porzingis is a rare case of a player with impressive box score stats whose impact is still understated on paper. Replacing Capela with Porzingis could make Atlanta's offense one of the best offenses in the league.