The Golden State Warriors could get Kristaps Porzingis back for Saturday's matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, with the veteran center participating in practice on Friday after missing the last three games due to illness.
Porzingis will be listed as questionable for Saturday's game, but his potential return could swing the door wide open for the Warriors to move Draymond Green to the bench in what would be a notable move late in the regular season.
Kristaps Porzingis return could open Draymond Green move to the bench
There's little chance that Porzingis himself will be ushered straight into the starting lineup, yet it does provide Steve Kerr and the coaching staff with another center option who will forseeably eat up 17-18 minutes in the rotation.
That could make it easier for Golden State to start veteran center Al Horford, particularly given Kerr has spoken about the desire for Green and Porzingis to play together after the franchise acquired the former All-Star earlier in the month.
Green and Porzingis did play some minutes together briefly in the latter's debut with the Warriors last week, only for it to prove disastrous as the visiting Boston Celtics produced a game-breaking run early in the second quarter.
In the four minutes Green and Porzingis played together in that game, Golden State held a 25.0 offensive rating, 188.9 defensive rating, and therefore a -163.9 net rating. Obviously that's far too small of a sample size to determine their viability, and on paper they should work effectively given their complimenting skillsets on both sides of the ball.
Al Horford is a better starting option than Draymond Green right now
Even without Porzingis' imminent return, there's a strong, perhaps undeniable argument to be made for Horford to be in the starting lineup over Green given the Warriors' contrasting success in recent games.
Golden State are 4-2 in games where Horford has been a starter since January 25, including impressive wins over the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies in the last week. The Warriors are 2-6 in their last eight games with Green as a starter, including suffering a disappointing 113-109 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday where Horford was sitting on the first night of a back-to-back.
Horford's ability to stretch the floor and be an offensive threat is critical right now without 2x MVP Stephen Curry in the lineup. The 39-year-old has already begun closing games instead of Green in recent weeks, but that could also extend now to the starting lineup.
If there was any doubt over the decision, having Porzingis back and pairing him with Green off the bench may be the final factor in the Warriors demoting one of their greatest ever players.