Kristaps Porzingis made a promising return for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night in Oklahoma City, but the veteran center is now set to miss another game as the franchise takes a cautious approach with their latest trade acquisition.
The Warriors quickly announced after Saturday's tough 104-97 loss that Porzingis would be rested from Monday's matchup in Utah, allowing him to play at home against the visiting Chicago Bulls in the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday.
Kristaps Porzingis is confident of a consistent return to the floor
Needless to say that Porzingis won't be playing both sides of a back-to-back over the remainder of the season, and perhaps not at all for the rest of his career considering the health concerns that have derailed his past 12 months.
Saturday's game was just the second the 30-year-old has played in the past 59 days, having appeared in 17 minutes during his debut for Golden State against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center last month.
Porzingis did manage to increase to 23 minutes of playing time against the Thunder after missing six-straight games due to illness. Speaking afterwards, the former All-Star described his confidence in overcoming the illness and playing more consistently going forward.
"I believe I will be healthy now. This is what I really feel. Not to sell anything because I've obviously been in and out and out again, but this time I really feel like this is it," Porzingis said.
Warriors’ current plan is to rest Kristaps Porzingis on Monday night in Utah and play him on Tuesday at home against the Bulls. He stretched to 23 minutes tonight and told Kerr postgame he felt fine.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 8, 2026
Kristaps Porzingis said his recent absence was “stinging me a little bit” but he feels like health issue is under control.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 8, 2026
“I believe I will be healthy now. This is how I really feel.”
Full update from Porzingis pic.twitter.com/e6IkdAVX1s
Of course, it's going to take some time for fans to build up some trust in Porzingis' availability. Saturday was just his 19th game of the season, not to mention he's played more than 57 just once in the last nine years.
Porzingis shows some positive signs in return against Thunder
Porzingis looked tired at times during Saturday's game and didn't quite have his shooting touch, making just 3-of-10 shots from the floor and only 3-of-6 from the free-throw line. Beyond that though, he did show some of the signs of the player the Warriors envisioned when they acquired him in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield last month.
There's no doubt the 7'2" center offers Golden State a point of difference offensively, giving them a mismatch option in the post who can effortlessly shoot over defenders and attract the attention of multiple defenders. The latter was proven in his five assists, while he also led the Warriors as a +6 in his 23 minutes.
Only time will tell if Porzingis can actually take the floor consistently for the Warriors going forward, but at least there's already some clarity on the plan for him ahead of their upcoming back-to-back.