SAN FRANCISCO — New Golden State Warriors big man Kristaps Porziņģis knows he can play better than he did in Thursday night’s 121-110 loss to the Boston Celtics, but he also understands after being out for over a month that brighter days are ahead for him with a new team and a new role in an organization where he feels comfortable. The 30-year-old, who was acquired just before the trade deadline earlier this month from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, scored 12 points, grabbed one rebound and dished out one assist in 17 minutes against a Celtics team he helped win a championship for in 2024.
“I felt all right,” Porziņģis said after it was over. “Far from being in perfect shape, but I think for first game back after a while, getting some energy back. I’m feeling good.”
Porziņģis came into Thursday’s game having played in only 59 games over the past two seasons because of various health issues. He hadn’t been in an NBA game since Jan. 7 where he played 22 minutes for the Hawks in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The rust early on in Thursday’s game showed. He was more than a step slow defensively and struggled to keep up with the pace his former team plays with.
The glimpses of his previous form appeared in different moments, though. He hit two three-pointers and was able to stretch the floor for the Warriors at times. They posted him on the block several times, but Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla sent two defenders at him almost every time to force the ball somewhere else. Warriors coach Steve Kerr reiterated after Thursday’s game the same thing he’s said since the Warriors acquired Porziņģis which is that he’s always believed in the big man’s talent and he’s looking forward to seeing the different ways his team can utilize him down the stretch.
“I thought he looked good,” Kerr said. “It’s never easy going to a new team and having one practice and playing, but you can see his talent, his feel for the game. His ability to space the floor, protect the rim, so it’s good to have him on our team, that’s for sure.”
Thursday’s game was supposed to provide the first chance to see Porziņģis play with Warriors star Stephen Curry — but Curry missed his sixth straight game because of a lingering knee issue and is expected to miss at least 10 more days as the organization tries to get the issue under control. It’s not hard to see why the Warriors have long believed that Porziņģis can fit within what Curry has made so famous through the years. He can hit from distance and create space — while also providing rim protection when needed. Kerr summed it up well after the game.
“The game really flows when he’s out there,” Kerr said.
Without Curry on the floor for an unknown amount of time, Porziņģis clearly becomes the most interesting storyline through the last two months of the season. How will he continue to fit? Will he continue to stay healthy? Will the Warriors try and bring him back next season? Those are all questions that will build momentum in the weeks ahead, but the first returns seemed promising Thursday for a player and a team intent on trying to make a relationship work.
Porziņģis said he felt better as the game went along and he seemed to feel more comfortable playing alongside a new group of teammates. The hope for the Warriors is that he can provide more of a scoring threat in the short-term without Curry and build his wind up in the process.
“It’s always weird coming back after a while,” Porziņģis said. “But my ups and downs in my career and I’ve been out for a bit, I’m pretty good at jumping right back in.”
Porziņģis faced one of his former teams Thursday night. (D. Ross Cameron / Imagn Images)
The intriguing note to follow in the wake of Porziņģis’ Warriors debut is how Kerr will construct lineups around him moving forward as his minutes continue to build. Porziņģis has already developed a natural rhythm with veteran big man Al Horford dating back to their two seasons together on the Celtics. He has been open about how much he’s enjoyed being out on the floor with veteran Draymond Green in the brief moments they’ve already shared together.
The issue for Kerr is that neither Green, nor Horford, has played with enough consistency this season — a fact which was reinforced on Thursday. Green played one of his worst games of the season going 0-for-7 from the field and racking up a -28 in over 18 minutes. Horford, playing against the Celtics for the first time since leaving Boston to come to the Warriors last summer, was just 2-for-10 and had two turnovers. As Kerr looks to create any kind of momentum without Curry, he does so while also knowing that he can only play so many big men at a time.
“What we already know is that it’s harder for us to play two bigs without Steph,” Kerr said. “Steph defies all rules of spacing, and without him it’s just trickier to play two bigs. But Draymond and Kristaps and Al are all really important players for us, so we’ve got to figure that out because we’re not gonna keep them separate from each other. They’re three of our best players and we’re gonna have to find better rhythm when two of them are out there together.”
Everything is different without Curry on the floor. It’s a lot less fun for his teammates and fans alike. Porziņģis can’t fill the void that Curry’s absence creates — nobody can — but at least Porziņģis allows Kerr the opportunity for some different looks along the way. The Warriors don’t have a lot of consistency playing without Curry, and injured swingman Jimmy Butler. Porziņģis’ veteran mentality, combined with his desire to earn another NBA deal over the summer, allows for the possibility that there will at least be some better offensive days on the horizon for a team that keeps getting hit by the reality that it remains unclear when their best player is coming back. And their second best player, Butler, isn’t coming back for even longer as he recovers from an ACL injury.
Porziņģis may never become the player he was before the injuries started to derail his career, but if the Warriors can get him back on track and at least keep him on the floor, they’ll give themselves the best chance to win in a lost year.