The Golden State Warriors made a big-swing trade at this year’s deadline, adding Kristaps Porzingis. But in doing so, they’re ignoring a potential issue: He may not fit Stephen Curry-ball. Porzingis’ shot profile and lack of a passing bag could affect his ability to be a perfect fit next to the Warriors’ franchise superstar.
It’s not a direct comparison, but one of the reasons Jonathan Kuminga didn’t pan out was because he needed the ball in his hands to be at his best. At least, that’s the way he saw it. Steve Kerr wasn’t willing to make that happen on a consistent basis.
And now, they could run into a slightly similar problem with Porzingis.
Kristaps Porzingis touches could be (a little) similar to Jonathan Kuminga problem
Porzingis and Kuminga are not the same basketball player. Not even close. Kuminga never turned into a consistent three-point shooter, and Porzingis is a constant threat to pull up from deep range.
That alone will help make his fit in the Warriors’ lineup relatively easy. He can space the floor while Curry and Draymond Green run the show in Golden State.
But there’s more to Porzingis than just deep-range catch-and-shoot threes. He’s not going to be doing that on every single possession. That much is inevitable.
Outside of his three-point shooting, Porzingis is at his best when playing out of the post. And for the most part, he likes to get his touches down there and go to work.
A lot of the time when he was with the Boston Celtics, that’s how he was used. Boston would find a mismatch, get the ball to Porzingis, and let him cook. (And outside of that, he took catch-and-shoot threes next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.)
However, if things get to a point where Porzingis is wanting the ball in the post more and more, and the Warriors aren’t allowing him to thrive in those situations, it could get messy.
It probably won’t get as messy as the Kuminga situation. In fact, it’s extremely likely that nothing the Warriors ever deal with will get as messy as the Kuminga situation.
But on a small, small scale, the Porzingis fit in Golden State could be reminiscent of some of the touches problems they dealt with when Kuminga was in town.
Maybe Porzingis won’t mind giving up some touches. He didn’t in Boston. But that was a championship team. This Warriors squad has some work to do to get there.
If nothing else, it’s a situation to keep an eye on.