A key player not being in shape is hardly what fans want to hear ahead of an elimination game, but that's just what Kristaps Porzingis has admitted ahead of the Golden State Warriors' Play-In game against the L.A. Clippers on Wednesday.
Porzingis has been healthy enough to take the floor for the Warriors consistently over the past month, yet his form and impact has waned which the Latvian acknowledges stems partly from carrying more weight than he'd like.
Kristaps Porzingis admits to weight problem Warriors can't ignore
The 30-year-old has been a new offensive weapon -- albeit not always efficient -- since his integration into the Golden State lineup. His defensive impact though has been a little disappointing, averaging a career-low 1.1 blocks and not entirely being the consistent rim protector fans had hoped to see.
Porzingis certainly isn't overweight by normal standards and likely never will be given his 7'2" frame. However, speaking to Danny Emerman of The San Francisco Standard on Monday, the former All-Star big man admitted that carrying a couple of extra pounds has been influencing his defensive impact.
Kristaps Porzingis said his mobility isn’t where it needs to be on the defensive end. He said he’s best when he’s not carrying as much weight, like in Boston.
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) April 13, 2026
“I’m relatively healthy…just need to lose a couple pounds, honestly.”
Not being in ideal shape come the postseason is a fairly inexcusable problem for any athlete to have, especially for someone making over $30 million who needs to be one of the stars of an injury-decimated team.
Porzingis' injury and health concerns do provide a reason for carrying a bit more weight, having finished up appearing in just 32 games during the regular season -- 15 of which came with the Warriors following February's bombshell trade.
Some of those health concerns may be completely out of Porzingis' control, but together with the medical staff there'd surely be a plan in place to ensure he'd be in the best possible shape come a moment such as this.
Warriors need Kristaps Porzingis in best shape possible
Even if Golden State would be disappointed by Porzingis' admission, there's not much they can do now on the doorstep of the postseason. What they can do is send a message to Porzingis reiterating the importance of having no such issues next season, assuming the two parties can strike a new deal in free agency.
Not only does Porzingis need to do everything in his own power to avoid the health/injury concerns that have plagued his career, but the Warriors simply don't have the wiggle room to have their veteran players not being in the best shape possible.
Golden State need the best version of Porzingis to possibly compete in this Play-In Tournament and going forward, and right now the man himself has confessed that's not exactly the case.
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