Kristaps Porzingis is yet to play for the Golden State Warriors following last week’s bombshell trade before the deadline, but his addition to the franchise is already proving beneficial in a different aspect.

Porzingis has sat on the Warrior bench over the past few games since his arrival from the Atlanta Hawks, including alongside Quinten Post during Wednesday’s home loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Kristaps Porzingis is already proving beneficial to Quinten Post

The 7’2″ big man was seen coaching up and giving pointers to his young teammate on multiple occasions during the game, with Post earning 13 minutes of action after less than 16 combined in the previous three outings.

It proved one of Post’s better performances in recent weeks, having lost the starting center role late last month after 22-straight starts for Steve Kerr and the Warriors. The 25-year-old dropped 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in his limited minutes, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Post was also one of only two Golden State players to record a positive plus-minus, with the hosts falling to a 126-113 defeat after leading by 16 during the third-quarter.

Speaking at half-time as the Warriors held a four-point lead, assistant coach Jacob Rubin spoke on Porzingis, the way he sees the game and how the Latvian has “been really good in sharing his wisdom with us.”

“He (Porzingis) is a good guy. He’s a funny guy. He’s a pros pro. I think anytime you’re the type of offensive and defensive player he is, he has a lot of thoughts that other people might not realize. The way he sees the game… He’s been really good sharing his wisdom with us.”… pic.twitter.com/zRb2IkDBok

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 12, 2026

That wisdom may be most valuable to Post given their obvious similarities as European seven-footers whose biggest strength is their ability to stretch the floor from that size. For as good as Porzingis might be offensively, it’s the defensive side of the floor where he may be able to impart his knowledge onto Post who has already taken impressive strides in that aspect earlier this season.

The Porzingis addition may ultimately prove harmful to Post when it comes to role and playing time after the All-Star break, but there’s also developmental opportunities for him that’s already taking in place in simply learning from a new mentor who has been in the league for over a decade.

Kristaps Porzingis as a mentor for Quinten Post would be so good OMG

— jose ☔️ (@KlayForTrey) February 5, 2026

Of course, as a $30 million player who will foreseeably become Golden State’s second option offensively, the franchise actually needs Porzingis on the floor and not just as another coach from the bench.

The fact he’s already proven willing to aid in Post’s development is still a positive sign though, and something the Warriors weren’t necessarily getting with Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield who were sent to Atlanta in the trade.

The hope now is that Porzingis, along with superstar guard Stephen Curry, can return to the floor immediately after the All-Star break and provide the Warriors a much-needed boost as they make their playoff push.