When the Golden State Warriors traded for Kristaps Porzingis, it looked like a solid fit, but after a relatively shaky start, everything seems to have fallen apart. The former Atlanta Hawks center has been in and out of the Warriors’ lineup due to injury, though he recently made his return. Unfortunately, he didn’t look too hot.
In his first couple of games back on the floor for Golden State, on March 7 and March 10, Porzingis hasn’t exactly been everything the Warriors have wanted. It’s been a tough stretch for the Latvian big man, and his short-lived era in Golden State is already coming crashing down.
Porzingis should be an ideal fit with the Warriors. But the Warriors aren’t the Warriors right now, and Porzingis isn’t Porzingis.
Kristaps Porzingis era with Warriors may be over sooner than later
Right now, the Warriors are without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. Butler is going to be out for the season with a torn ACL, and Curry has missed 15 straight games with a knee issue.
Without Curry and Butler on the court (but mostly Curry, since the Warriors traded for Porzingis after Butler’s injury already occurred), Porzingis isn’t nearly as useful as he otherwise would be.
He needs the spacing of Curry to work. He needs the three-point shooting, playmaking, and overall gravity of Curry. From there, Porzingis is at his best. As a second option (or, in an ideal world, a third option).
Right now, the Warriors don’t have many great offensive options to run through, especially as Porzingis continues to work through his current ailment.
In his first game back, on March 7, Porzingis played 23 minutes in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He put up nine points, five rebounds, five assists, and one block, but shot just 3-of-10 from the field and 0-of-3 from deep.
Then, in his second game, Porzingis played 20 minutes in a 130-124 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls. He finished the game with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists, and four blocks, but he shot just 5-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Obviously, the second game was better than the first, but the result was the same: A loss.
And considering Porzingis’ contract is up at the end of the season, time is running out for the Warriors to make it work.
Illness issues and subpar play, combined with Curry’s potential season-long (if it gets to that point), means Porzingis’ time with the Warriors may already be coming to an end.