The Golden State Warriors are reportedly not paying Kristaps Porzingis as the veteran center remains away from the team. This doesn’t come as a major shock since he’s been seen in Spain and there are rumors that he’s mulling retirement, but it's still a significant development nonetheless.
It also just shows that maybe the Warriors didn’t really need Porzingis after all. They signed him to a two-year deal knowing that his $20 million salary could be beneficial in some ways as it pertains to the salary cap, but him not even being around the team just creates a very bad look for all parties involved.
His absence really felt like a bad omen that had the chance to derail Golden State’s season before it even began, and the team’s 0-3 start to begin the campaign certainly didn’t make that feeling go away. Yet now that the Warriors are on a five-game winning streak, it seems like they are finding ways to win without the former All-Star.
Charles Bassey had a great game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, offering hope that he could perhaps fill the void left by Porzingis at center. Of course, Draymond Green still factors into the equation when Golden State goes with its smaller lineup, while Al Horford continues to provide solid minutes off the bench.
Warriors have had to get creative and find answers without Porzingis
While a healthy Porzingis would have been nice to have, even if he tried playing there’s a good chance he would’ve had to miss time given how injury-prone he's been in recent years. Perhaps in some ways the fact he was out of the equation from the start is a good thing because it forced the Warriors to adapt right away, rather than having to adjust things on the fly midseason had he gone down a month into the regular season.
There’s also something to be said about dealing with that adversity early on. No one was giving the Warriors much of a shot, myself included, even with Porzingis in the fold. After he went away from the team, that rendered Golden State even less of factor in the minds of many.
Maybe by playing into that underdog “no one believes in us” mentality, the Warriors will be able to shock some people this season. It’s still early and there’s plenty of time for disappointment, but the Porzingis saga playing out the way it has may ultimately be beneficial, especially since the team has already proven it can play some really good basketball even without him in the fold.
Add us as a preferred source on Google