The future of Kristaps Porzingis is one of the key storylines surrounding the Golden State Warriors this offseason, but deciphering the veteran center's contract value is a problem the front office could be grappling with for weeks before free agency.
Health and injury concerns certainly present a major risk to giving Porzingis a big new contract, yet defensive question marks are also a quiet concern that could impact the 30-year-old's value to the Warriors going forward.
Defensive concerns adds difficulty to deciding Kristaps Porzingis' value
The 7'2" Porzingis adds a shot-blocking presence Golden State arguably haven't had since Andrew Bogut departed the franchise a decade ago. However, because the Warriors haven't had that type of size and rim protection in so many years, their system has adjusted and doesn't necessarily suit a center like Porzingis who wants to hang around the paint to deter shots at the basket.
With an understandable lack of mobility given his size and injury history, Porzingis struggled at times defensively following his arrival in February, including from the very outset in his debut against a perimeter-centric, five-out Boston Celtics team.
Over the last decade, Golden State have preferred more mobile big men who could switch out onto the perimeter if required, or at the very least prove capable of showing and recovering in pick-and-roll situations. Kevon Looney was excellent at that for some years, while it's also why Steve Kerr has played so much small-ball with Draymond Green at the five.
Take the thrilling win over the L.A. Clippers in the first Play-In game as a prime example. Porzingis was really important with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks, yet the Latvian sat over the final six minutes as the game was decided. Instead, it was Al Horford on the floor as the Warriors successfully loaded up on Kawhi Leonard before recovering on the backside of double teams.
Steve Kerr exit could actually increase Kristaps Porzingis' value
Golden State have to decide whether Porzingis is really worth potentially $20 million annually if there's going to be games where he's not actually part of closing lineups, let alone the risks that comes with his injury/health history.
Perhaps Steve Kerr's exit could make Porzingis more valuable, especially if they bring in a new coach who has a different defensive scheme that could make the former All-Star more impactful on that end of the floor.
Weighing that up with Porzingis' clear offensive value is going to be fascinating, particularly when the Warriors do need a starting center and someone capable of being a go-to scorer as Jimmy Butler continues to recover from his torn ACL.
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