During the offseason, it was difficult to find anyone that was firmly against the Hawks adding Kristaps Porzingis. He was only one season removed from a fantastic season for the Celtics as the starting center for their championship-level squad. Despite his lengthy injury history sidelining him for parts of the regular season and almost all of the postseason, he turned them into a regular season juggernaut and set the tone for the series with a fantastic performance in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
However, the days of him being able to impact the game as a consistent starter are over.
This isn’t to say that the Porzingis trade has been a complete bust for the Hawks. Atlanta essentially swapped Georges Niang out for him and it’d be ridiculous to say that Niang would have made a bigger impact. Even though Porzingis has been in and out of the lineup, Niang has yet to play a game this season. It’s reasonable to conclude that the Hawks are better off with KP, but could they tap into more upside if they brought him in off the bench?
Is Kristaps Porzingis Still A Two-Way Star?
Nov 25, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis (8) prepares to shoot as Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
First, it’s important to get a sense of what exactly Porzingis has brought to the Hawks this season. He’s averaging 18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game on 48.1/33.9/86.2% shooting splits. It is the third-fewest points he’s averaged in his career, but that implies that Porzingis has been horribly inefficient. Despite shooting under 35% from deep, he still has a 61.3 TS% and is currently shooting a career-high 52% from the midrange. It’s a bit worrying that he’s only shooting 67% at the rim, which is in the 39th percentile among all centers. However, he’s never been a particularly great scorer at the basket and his consistent struggles to stay healthy means that he shouldn’t be relied upon as a consistent source of rim pressure.
One of the areas of his game that has blossomed with Atlanta is his playmaking. The 3.3 assists he averages per game and his AST% of 18.5% are both career-highs, but he’s also doing that on the lowest TOV% of his career (5.7%). It’s part of the reason why Atlanta’s offense is 5.7 points better with him on the court even though his three-point shot isn’t going in at its usual frequency. In fact, he actually leads all NBA centers in AST to pass percentage, converting 15.3% of his passes into assists. Having an efficient playmaker at center is something that very few NBA teams can claim to roster and it’s exciting that Atlanta can tap into that upside as a result of having Porzingis.
However, his defense has not been nearly as impactful as it was for the Celtics. To be clear, he is still a valuable shot-blocker. His BLK% of 3.0% is in the 83rd percentile among all big men and he’s averaging 1.6 blocks per game, which is solid. Still, he hasn’t been a consistent deterrent at the rim and his defensive rebounding is negligible. He’s averaging the fewest defensive rebounds of his career and his DREB% is also at a career-low 18%. For some context, Lakers center DeAndre Ayton, who’s often been criticized for his poor defensive rebounding, has a DREB% of 21.6%. Furthermore, it’s not as if the Hawks are shutting teams down he’s on the floor. Atlanta’s defense is actually 6.5 points worse when he’s on the court and his overall impact metrics have taken a hit as a result. The on-off swing for Porzingis is at -1.7, which would be the second-lowest mark of his career if it holds up.
How Does A Move To The Bench Magnify Porzingis’ Strengths?
Nov 25, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) loses the ball while driving to the basket as Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis (8) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
At his best, Porzingis has a very coveted skillset that aligns well with players who are somewhat limited. He is a shooting threat from practically anywhere on the court – teams are forced to respect him as a shooter in a way that is not necessary for many bigs. That’ll be especially true once his three-point numbers start to climb and it’s already begun to improve. He’s made 2 threes in four of his last five games. That’ll make a notable difference for Atlanta’s bench
The Hawks’ second unit has been solid, but they have definite room for improvement on offense. They’re 14th in points per game and 19th in assists while being 14th in turnovers. They’re also a slight negative from a plus-minus standpoint, grading out as the 15th best unit with a -0.2 point differential. The combination of scoring and playmaking that Porzingis brings would improve those numbers while complementing the strengths of Atlanta’s bench players.
It’s very easy to find a role for Porzingis on offense as a direct hand-off playmaker and post-up scorer who can also make catch-and-shoot threes. He’s ninth in the NBA in points per possession while posting up (1.34 points) and ninth among all centers in catch-and-shoot points per game (4.9 points). Furthermore, players like Vit Krejci are absolutely amazing off of handoffs and screens. Krejci leads the NBA in points per possession off of handoffs and is third in points per possession off screens. In the 60 minutes Krejci has played with Porzingis thus far, his TS% is a ridiculous 87.5% and he’s shooting 61.5% from deep. It’s obviously a small sample size, but there’s reasons to believe this is a combination worth exploring for the Hawks.
Onyeka Okongwu Is A Better Starter For Atlanta Right Now
Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) protects the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) during the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
The other side effect of moving Porzingis to the bench allows Okongwu to move into the starting lineup and he’s absolutely earned it with his play this season. Okongwu is averaging a career-high 16.5 points per game while also grabbing 7.1 rebounds and dishing out 2.6 assists per game. He’s shooting an impressive 41.3% from deep on four attempts a game.
Okongwu’s defense has gone up and down at times, but he’s averaging a respectable 21.1 DREB% and BLK% of 3.3%. He isn’t the shot-blocker Porzingis is, but the Hawks are a net-neutral in his defensive minutes. Despite his own improvments as a scorer, the offense has really struggled when he’s on the court. Atlanta is 8.5 points better on offense when he sits, which is worth considering. However, despite that, the Hawks starting lineup has a net rating of -0.4 with Porzingis as the starting center (112 minutes) and a net rating of 9.4 with Okongwu as the starting center (82 minutes).
If the starting lineup performs better with OO on the floor as opposed to KP, it just doesn’t make sense to keep plugging Porzingis into the starting lineup. A move to the bench would also keep him healthier and reduce the chemistry issues that come from his inability to play in back-to-backs. It’s an uncomfortable conversation for Quin Snyder to have, but it is one he should certainly consider.