The Golden State Warriors' trial period with Kristaps Porzingis is starting to show benefits.
Although he played just 17 minutes after the trade before being sidelined by illness for six games, he's shown promising signs since his return. Over his last three games, he's averaged 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while knocking down 47.6% of his attempts from the field. His 30-point performance against the Washington Wizards on Monday was his best performance in a Warriors uniform.
In an ideal world, Porzingis will stay healthy over the remainder of the season, flashing his rim-protecting and floor-spacing skill-set. Golden State could then re-sign him to a reasonable extension this offseason, solving the problem at the center position that has haunted them over the past couple of seasons.
But even tossing the question of health aside, the Warriors still have a vital question to answer about Porzingis. As good as he's been these past couple of games, he has yet to play alongside Stephen Curry.
In order to truly determine Porzingis' fit with the team, Golden State needs Curry to return.
Kristaps Porzingis must prove he can play effectively alongside Curry for the Warriors to commit to him long-term
In his appearance on 95.7 The Game this week, head coach Steve Kerr spoke on Porzingis' time with the team so far, stating that the ideal plan is to bring him back this offseason. He also stated, however, the importance of seeing Porzingis play alongside Curry before the team can truly make a decision.
“But of course, until you’ve really played with Steph, you don’t really get the perfect feel for what the Warriors are all about... Because we’re built around Steph, and Steph’s personality, his joy, his competitiveness, is really what it’s all about and what has defined us in this era.” - Steve Kerr
In theory, the pair should match up perfectly. The Warriors have long sought out a floor-spacing center who can help maximize Curry's off-ball abilities, and Porzingis provides that exact skill-set. Ultimately, however, that will remain just a theory until both players take the court together.
Curry has now missed 18 games with lingering knee soreness, and we do not yet have an exact date for his return. There's a chance it could come this weekend given the re-evaluation he'll receive on Friday.
But even that optimistic a timeline would give Porzingis and Curry at most 13 regular-season games to figure out their fit. Realistically, that number might be closer to 10 if either player rests between now and the end of the season.
Nevertheless, it's a question the Warriors must answer if they want to have any certainty that Porzingis is the right player for the team heading into the offseason.