Kristaps Porzingis is ramping up for a return to the floor following the All-Star break, and when he does the Golden State Warriors will give him an opportunity that he hasn't been afforded in recent seasons with the Boston Celtics and briefly with the Atlanta Hawks.
Since departing the Washington Wizards in the 2023 offseason, Porzingis has been a third option on his previous two teams. That could be set to change though, with Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury opening up a scoring void that Porzingis can fill if he's to remain relatively healthy over the remainder of the offseason, and potentially into next season if he's to re-sign with the Warriors as a free agent.
Kristaps Porzingis will get the opportunity to be a primary scoring option
Porzingis has remained a productive player when on the floor over the past three seasons, having averaged 20.1 and 19.5 points over his two years with the Celtics, and 17.1 in less than 25 minutes per game with the Hawks before last week's trade.
Yet during that time, the 30-year-old was a third option offensively, firstly behind the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and then briefly earlier this season next to Trae Young and Jalen Johnson.
The Warriors are middle of the pack (ranked 15th) in offensive rating so far this season, and their individual scoring numbers look incredibly underwhelming with Butler no longer part of the mix. Excluding the 6x All-Star, only Stephen Curry (27.2) averages more than 12 points per game on the current roster.
Golden State will have to lean heavily on Porzingis when he returns, utilizing his ability to stretch the floor, finish at the rim, and in attacking mismatches against smaller opponents in post-up situations.
That suggests Porzingis will immediately become Golden State's second scoring option, having averaged 19.6 for his career on 46.1% shooting from the floor and 36.6% from 3-point range. For a player who's about to enter unrestricted free agency in the offseason, it's an ideal position to be in to have the opportunity to not only put up big numbers, but also do it while trying to contribute to winning on a playoff-contending team.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact Porzingis will have and subsequently what his next contract will look like, but any disappointment or failure won't be through a lack of opportunity so long as the Latvian big man can return to the floor and remain healthy.