{"id":877765,"date":"2026-11-06T20:15:30","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T20:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/877765\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T20:15:30","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T20:15:30","slug":"kawakami-why-the-warriors-are-winning-without-porzingis-and-other-causes-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/877765\/","title":{"rendered":"Kawakami: Why the Warriors are winning without Porzingis and other causes\/effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

The moment the Warriors realized that Kristaps Porzingis probably wouldn\u2019t play for them this season or ever again, everything about this potentially gloomy season got worse.<\/p>\n

But only temporarily.<\/p>\n

Basically, it was three games of the Warriors feeling a bit sorry for themselves; three bad losses that made the outside world conclude that this thing was over; and oops, now the Warriors are 6-3 and any plan featuring Porzingis seems like part of the irrelevant and ancient past. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s how quickly the page can be turned in the NBA, even for a franchise loaded with future Hall of Famers. That\u2019s what a successful reordering on the fly can do. And that\u2019s what has fueled the Warriors\u2019 current six-game winning streak to climb back into the middle of the Western Conference standings immediately following their 0-3 start.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s be clear: Nobody on the Warriors is celebrating Porzingis\u2019 absence. He\u2019s still officially a teammate and associate and an incredibly talented one. They\u2019ve kept his locker \u2014 though the glass panels are closed up and it obviously hasn\u2019t been touched in months. And every player, coach, and executive understands that Porzingis\u2019 battle with a lingering health issue must be terribly frustrating for him.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s not as plain as saying they\u2019re simply better off without Porzingis. But losing him has forced the Warriors to figure out how to be better without Porzingis right now and they\u2019re certainly better off for the long term.<\/p>\n

After the Warriors\u2019 victory over Miami on Thursday, Stephen Curry noted the 0-3 start, the slow starts to the last few games, and several other hits the Warriors have absorbed and rallied past. He didn\u2019t include the loss of Porzingis, but I\u2019m putting it in there, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the way that we respond is a great testament to how bad we want to be a great team,\u201d Curry said. \u201cWe\u2019re not there yet, but this run that we\u2019re on is building a lot of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s very early. Nine games in an NBA season is still just a blink. But it\u2019s also a lot more informative than three games. The season is starting to take shape.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Is this win streak real? It\u2019s definitely long enough to feel substantial, with a few more winnable games coming up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s real, but we\u2019ve got a long way to go,\u201d Draymond said. \u201cWe\u2019re not sitting here, like, \u2018Oh man, we won six in a row, we\u2019re about to win a championship.\u2019 We won six in a row \u2014 which we spoke about the beginning of the season about taking our process one day at a time. We\u2019ve done that. We\u2019ve done that at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curry is the No. 1 part of this, as always. And so is Steve Kerr, who made sure to keep the team\u2019s spirits up through the 0-3 start, also knowing that Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are due back at some point in the next few months.<\/p>\n

After the Warriors lost but played feistily in Phoenix on Oct. 24 (with Curry, Draymond, Brandin Podziemski, and Al Horford all getting rests), Kerr told his players that they were doing good things, they had a good training camp, and the record would soon show that. Which started two days later, when Yaxel Lendeborg put up 31 points and had 12 rebounds in a victory in Denver.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes when you\u2019re doing some new things it takes a little while for those things to take hold,\u201d Kerr said Thursday night. \u201cI think we needed that game in Denver and when we went and got it \u2014 it felt like as soon as we won the Denver game, guys relaxed, \u2018We\u2019re OK.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Warriors survived the loss of their projected starting center, who they\u2019ll try to trade before the Feb. 11 deadline. And here are a few specific reasons why they\u2019re actually thriving without Porzingis:<\/p>\n

It opened up a giant opportunity for Lendeborg, who has more than taken advantage of it<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the progression: Losing Porzingis made Kerr commit to Draymond full-time at center, which moved Lendeborg to the starting power-forward spot, his natural position, and big things started to happen.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, Lendeborg would\u2019ve been jammed in at small forward, which might not have been a disaster, but doesn\u2019t fit nearly as seamlessly as Lendeborg\u2019s size helping Draymond on the frontline with the starting unit then Lendeborg taking over as the lead guy \u2014 surrounded by guards and wings \u2014 when Curry\u2019s resting.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already all written a ton about Lendeborg\u2019s immediate impact, and we all will keep doing it if this continues. In the ultimate sign that he\u2019s arrived, opponents are definitely starting to game plan against him \u2014 for instance, Miami\u2019s Erik Spoelstra put guards on him to force Lendeborg off the three-point line.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ll just add here that Lendeborg registered a 17-point, 8-rebound, 6-assist line and helped make sure Curry only needed to play 28 minutes on Thursday, and I sort of considered it a ho-hum performance. In Lendeborg\u2019s ninth game.<\/p>\n

As Curry said a few days ago when asked what\u2019s different about this team from last season: \u201cI mean \u2026 Yaxel.\u201d<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s probably no way Lendeborg would be averaging 31.8 minutes, 21 points, and 14 shot attempts (5.9 of them from three-point) per game if Porzingis was playing this season. <\/p>\n

Maybe my mind is still stuck on \u201cLanterns\u201d or something, but it feels like Porzingis\u2019 departure opened up a portal for Lendeborg to jump through.<\/p>\n

\"AYaxel Lendeborg has made 39.6% of his 3-point attempts through nine games. | Source: Lachlan Cunningham\/Getty ImagesDraymond has to be a center now \u2014 and he\u2019s still a very good one<\/p>\n

He\u2019s always been the Warriors\u2019 best center and for more than a decade Draymond also gave them great minutes as a pick-and-roll power forward alongside Curry. <\/p>\n

But in the current space-and-tempo NBA, it\u2019s all narrowed down for Draymond: At center, he can defend, rebound, pass, and make plays and almost never look to score; at power forward, the non-scoring part becomes problematic.<\/p>\n

Today<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

3 days ago<\/p>\n

\"Four<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday, Oct. 28<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

And if Porzingis was playing, Draymond would\u2019ve had to play mostly power forward. It might\u2019ve worked a little \u2014 Porzingis\u2019 shooting ability is a nice complement for Draymond. But I don\u2019t think it would\u2019ve turned out like what we\u2019re seeing with Draymond, Al Horford, and Charles Bassey splitting the center minutes. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the perfect way to maximize Draymond\u2019s value as a ferocious defender and team leader, which is obviously still very significant. And the way it\u2019s going, unless there\u2019s an injury at this position, the Warriors probably won\u2019t have to make an emergency trade for another center.<\/p>\n

Draymond is currently averaging 26.7 minutes, 3 points, 1.3 field-goal attempts, 0.3 made field goals, and 0.6 free-throw attempts per game \u2014 if maintained, all would be career lows since he\u2019s become a main-rotation player.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily a conscious thing,\u201d Draymond said Thursday when I asked about the very low shot total so far. \u201cLike, I don\u2019t go into the game like, aw, I\u2019m gonna take less shots. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut I do go into the game knowing that I have a million other things to do. And I just don\u2019t really focus on it much, if I\u2019m honest with you. I\u2019m not really out there looking for a shot. There\u2019s so many other things that I need to be on top of for this team to have a good opportunity to be winners.\u201d<\/p>\n

To that point, Draymond currently has scored 21 points this season. He has 49 assists and 35 rebounds.<\/p>\n

It has also opened up key minutes for Georges Niang<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll never guess who the Warriors\u2019 cumulative plus-minus leader is right now. Yes, it\u2019s Niang at +56.<\/p>\n

He was a little rusty very early in the season after missing all of last season due to a foot injury, but during this win streak, Niang has become one of Kerr\u2019s old reliables. <\/p>\n

Niang is now the Warriors\u2019 late-game in-bounder, he spaces the floor, and he fits perfectly as Lendeborg\u2019s backup \u2014 and since Lendeborg spends so much time leading the second unit, Niang gets a lot of minutes with Curry and Draymond.<\/p>\n

If Porzingis was playing, I don\u2019t know if Niang would be on the floor much at all, because he\u2019d be squeezed behind Draymond and Lendeborg. Right now, Kerr barely ever wants to take him out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis guy, you can\u2019t keep him off the floor,\u201d Draymond said. \u201cI absolutely love being his teammate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, the Curry-Draymond-Niang unit has played the second-most minutes among the Warriors\u2019 three-man groups and has a +12.5 net rating in those 88 minutes. (The team\u2019s most-played three-man unit is Curry-Draymond-Brandin Podziemski with 104 minutes at +4.8.)<\/p>\n

\"AGeorges Niang is averaging 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds off the bench. | Source: Lachlan Cunningham\/Getty ImagesThe Warriors have their most cohesive and coherent second unit since Jimmy Butler was leading it<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve watched the Warriors\u2019 new second unit run through a few other teams\u2019 reserve squads during the winning streak, you won\u2019t be surprised by this stat:<\/p>\n

The Warriors\u2019 highest-rated three-man unit right now is Lendeborg-Podziemski-Brandon Wiliams, which is +31.4 in 56 minutes on the floor together.<\/p>\n

Maybe the most important long-term stat from Thursday: Because the second unit held the lead in the fourth quarter and actually extended it a bit, Curry didn\u2019t have to check back in to close, which kept his minute count at 28.<\/p>\n

Curry has been amazing but has only needed to play 201 minutes so far this season \u2014 just 46.5% of the team\u2019s total of 432. And they\u2019re 6-3 and the engine\u2019s purring. That\u2019s a great sign for the Warriors.<\/p>\n

They were never going to be able to count on Porzingis, anyway<\/p>\n

Pretty self-explanatory. <\/p>\n

Any high hopes they had for Porzingis helping to carry them into the top tier of the West \u2026 were better off dashed quickly rather than, say, in January.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no need to rush Butler<\/p>\n

Butler will come back when it\u2019s right, but if there was ever any worry that he might feel pressure to hurry back to save the season when his knee wasn\u2019t 100% ready for it \u2026 well, that\u2019s likely gone.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no way to know how this new configuration of the Warriors will adapt to Butler\u2019s return, but it\u2019s almost never bad to have an extra excellent and proven player to throw at opponents, especially in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\"AJimmy Butler tore his ACL in January and has been making strides in his rehab. | Source: Ezra Shaw\/Getty ImagesThe Warriors can focus on the big fish at the trade deadline or July<\/p>\n

The big-picture theme is unchanged: The Warriors have more than $100 million in expiring contracts and future draft picks to package together if there\u2019s a major star available on the trade market in February.<\/p>\n

And the Warriors will absolutely take a look at everything.<\/p>\n

But if they just stay above .500 through January, they don\u2019t have to make this decision in desperation. They can be a little picky. If there\u2019s no great trade to be made this winter, they can play this out, see how far they go in the playoffs, then contemplate what to do with a ton of cap space next July.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying the Warriors will be totally in control of the market, but they also don\u2019t need to do anything now that could prevent them from doing something much more significant later. <\/p>\n

For instance, if there\u2019s a superstar who sees the good Bay Area vibes and wants to join the Warriors either in February or July, the Warriors will want to save as much flexibility as they can. And they want to keep winning. Which they\u2019ve certainly been doing lately.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just because the Warriors are better without Porzingis. He could\u2019ve been great for them, if not for his illness. This isn\u2019t addition by subtraction. It\u2019s multiplication by adaption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The moment the Warriors realized that Kristaps Porzingis probably wouldn\u2019t play for them this season or ever again,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":877766,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3786],"tags":[7,860,200,479,164,4025,4024,313,4706,867,1208,6,66,932,863,255,3549],"class_list":["post-877765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golden-state-warriors","tag-basketball","tag-brandin-podziemski","tag-draymond-green","tag-golden-state","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-goldenstate","tag-goldenstatewarriors","tag-jimmy-butler","tag-joe-lacob","tag-jonathan-kuminga","tag-mike-dunleavy","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-steph-curry","tag-steve-kerr","tag-warriors","tag-yaxel-lendeborg"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117571336712397550","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=877765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/877766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=877765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=877765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=877765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}