From the outset of the Golden State Warriors' season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, it was clear there was trouble brewing with Kristaps Porzingis out of the fold.
No matter how De'Anthony Melton and Yaxel Lendeborg performed against their respective assignments in Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic, it seemed as though the Lakers always had a viable option to get a bucket—work the ball to a rolling or cutting Walker Kessler and allow him to finish at the basket. Kessler ultimately finished the night 12-of-12 from the field with 26 points. Golden State allowed 66 points in the paint, the second-most of any team that's played to this point in the new season.
With both Porzingis and Bassey out, we knew there was going to be trouble. But if any team with an offensively capable big man can simply walk the Warriors' small-ball lineup down like that, this is quickly going to turn into a long season.
Needless to say, the urgency to address the issue was raised exponentially for the Warriors yesterday when Shams Charania at ESPN broke news that not only was Golden State looking at Porzingis trades, but that the veteran was considering retirement as a result of his ongoing health issues.
Any silver lining from this matchup—including Draymond Green's performance as a playmaker in the Warriors offense—hinges entirely on that development. This Warriors team needs a center, or nothing else will seem to count for much over the course of this season.
Draymond Green is doing exactly what the Warriors need him to offensively—but his total viability relies on adding a center to this roster
As the time has passed since Green first signed his one-year, $27.6 million extension with the Warriors this summer, the narrative about his make-or-break season has steadily faded into the background. But make no mistake. Green's contract is an expiring one, and he's fighting in 2026-27 to prove he's more than just a trade chip to retool this team around Stephen Curry.
His offensive numbers dropped precipitously almost across the board last season, and Golden State has now asked him to take on less of a burden on the offensive end—operating primarily as a playmaker and less as a real scoring threat.
So far, he's taken that to heart. Green had three preseason outings with eight or more assists, and he also had three outings with just one field goal attempted. On Wednesday night against Los Angeles, Green posted eight assists while taking just four shot attempts from the field. Golden State, of course, would like to see a little more efficiency from beyond the arc and a little less turnover-prone behavior. But on the whole, Green is doing exactly what the coaching staff has asked of him.
Here's the thing, though. If Green is going to remain a viable NBA starter, he needs to be optimized on both ends of the court. And it's simply a reality of his game at this point his career that he can't play small-ball center minutes for long stretches without his team seriously giving up ground in the battle for the paint. Bassey, as intense and exciting as his play can be in short stretches, isn't a true option there either—at least not offensively.
They have Porzingis' two-year, $40 million deal, which functions essentially as an expiring contract with just $3 million guaranteed on his player option next offseason. If there's a team willing to take that on in order to move off of some longer-term money, there could be some sort of deal orchestrated, at the very least, to bring a helpful player back to this team.
But if the Warriors are going to find a way to maximize Green's game (and the performance of this team as a whole), they're going to need to land a center somehow. It's not wise to overreact to one loss—but it's safe to say this is the reality that Green, and the rest of the team, are facing with Porzingis out indefinitely.
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