Warriors coach Steve Kerr had to be expecting one specific question upon returning from the team's small contingent's trip to Portland. What's going on with Kristaps Porzingis?
Kerr, to the disappointment of many, announced that he didn't have anything new to report regarding the 7'2" big man's health issues. In a nutshell, he hasn't seen Porzingis, nor does he know when he'll be back with the team. Al Horford, Porzingis' former teammate in Boston, said after practice that he hasn't talked to him and doesn't have much information about the situation.
When general manager Mike Dunleavy opened his media day press conference by revealing that Porzingis would miss training camp in Hawaii due to an unspecified illness, Kerr was confident at the time that the big man's absence would be short-lived and considered him day-to-day. Ten days have passed, and not much has changed.
So what does it mean for the Warriors? First of all, it hurts. It hurts because one of the main reasons the organization opted to re-sign Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million contract (the second year is a player option) during the offseason was that he checks all the boxes to thrive in the team's new five-out system. A career 36.4% shooter from deep on over five attempts per game, Porzingis had already experienced similar offensive schemes during his Boston days.
The fit appeared as seamless as perfect. As has often been the case throughout Porzingis' career — he's played in just 59.1% of possible regular-season games across his 11-season career — injuries (or illnesses) have derailed his team's plans.
At least the Warriors have the depth to adapt
Not being able to utilize the talent of a player of Porzingis' caliber is a big blow. But the Warriors appear well-equipped to deal with the predicament. The first option that springs to mind is Draymond Green. For years now, the goal has been to limit Green's minutes at the center position to preserve his body from bumping and wrestling with seven-footers every night. As has been true over the last few seasons, the Warriors probably won't be able to fulfil that wish entirely.
In every single season since 2021-22, Green has logged in more than half of his minutes at center, according to Cleaning the Glass. Before that 2021-22 season, he'd played more than 30% of his minutes at the five just twice across his first 10 seasons in the league.
You might wonder why the coaching staff has continued to deploy him against much taller and bigger centers. Outside of the fact that they had to do it out of necessity at times, it's because it's produced strong results. The team has posted a positive net rating in Green's minutes at center in each of the last six seasons, including a +10.1 mark a couple of years ago. Last season, the team's offensive rating went from 115.2 with Draymond at the five (approximately 934 minutes) to 108.1 when he was manning the power forward position (approximately 915 minutes). Defensively, the Warriors were slightly better with him at center (114 DRTG) than at the four (115.5).
For comparison, with Horford at center, the team posted a +0.2 net rating in approximately 865 minutes. In a much smaller sample size (356 minutes), the net rating fell to -2.6 with Porzingis on the floor.
Banking on a center rotation made up of an oft-injured 7'2" center, a 40-year-old veteran with limited playing time, and an undersized big entering his 15th NBA season is a bold bet. One that the Warriors won't place. They're going to use their depth. Thankfully, they have some.
"With our sport, as with any sport, the next guy has to step up, and we'll have to do a little more, and that's kind of where we at," Horford said of the situation surrounding Porzingis.
Those next guys are named Charles Bassey and Graham Ike. The main difference with Bassey and Ike, the latter of which is on a two-way contract, is that they aren't prototypical stretch centers like Horford or Porzingis.
Ike shot 33.8% on 2.3 attempts from beyond the arc with Gonzaga last year and proved he can shoot it confidently at the NBA level if left unguarded on the perimeter — he converted two of his three attempts in Portland on Wednesday. Bassey, meanwhile, went 20-for-47 (42.6%) in the G League last season, but has attempted just 13 threes (made three) over his 126 NBA games.
They have other tools in their repertoire though. The eight-foot floater is a comfortable shot for both; they can catch lobs, and their defense at the rim is solid. Kerr is happy with what he's seen from the two big men and said he's going to use them, though probably slightly differently.
"We're still running the same actions; it just turns into a different result. Graham and Charles are going to roll or maybe short roll. Every player presents a different skill set, but the offense adapts accordingly," Kerr said on how he plans to use the two big men. "Given injuries, age, depth, all that stuff, we're going to need all of our centers, including Yaxel."
Using the rookie at the five in a small-ball lineup offers obvious benefits. Against opposing centers, Lendeborg would thrive and the offense would be able to play faster to gain an edge. The same goes with Georges Niang, whom Kerr also intends to use in small units. The defense is the question mark with the unseasoned Lendeborg and 6'6" Niang. Lendeborg still needs to develop his instincts, get familiar with the rotations, and adapt to NBA-caliber offenses, while with Niang playing the five, the rim protection becomes a major weakness.
"I feel like it would be easier to blow by for me if they do decide to put the five on me, so that'll give me a lot more opportunities to get to the basket and make more plays," Lendeborg said about playing at the five. "I don't know on the defensive side yet, I feel like me and Draymond would have to switch matchups maybe because he defends fives better than I would."
While waiting for more, or any, updates on their Latvian big man's health, the Warriors have three more preseason games to try to find the right frontcourt combinations and map out a plan if Porzingis were to miss more time. Worst-case scenario: they get to show off their depth. Not ideal, but not terrible either.
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