SAN FRANCISCO – Before making his Warriors debut Thursday night, Kristaps Porzingis wanted to feel the court. To show himself he was ready for what’s to come. It had been 43 days since he appeared in an NBA game. His angular 7-foot-2 body needed to become reacquainted with high-velocity activity.
So, he went prancing about the floor, running sideline-to-sideline sprints during every first-quarter break and again when the quarter ended. Satisfied, he stripped his sweats and walked out to open the second quarter.
By the time Porzingis went to the bench four minutes later to catch his breath, the Boston Celtics had reeled off a 17-2 run, setting the tone for a 121-110 roasting (the 11-point margin is highly deceptive) of the Warriors.
Welcome to the Bay, KP. Every game won’t feel this futile.
“Far from being in perfect shape,” Porzingis said. “But the first game back, after a while getting some energy back, feeling good.”
The reality is there will be more nights like this for a Golden State team without franchise icon Stephen Curry for at least the rest of February and without No. 2 scorer Jimmy Butler III for the rest of the season. The Warriors are eighth in the Western Conference, and the reality is that a rise is unlikely.
Acquired Feb. 5 in a trade that sent Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks, Porzingis was greeted warmly by the sellout crowd before Boston – the team with which he won the 2024 NBA Finals – sent a chill through Chase Center. The Celtics led by as much as 34 points.
“Boston was incredible,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
Porzingis, whose contract expires after the season, is auditioning for his NBA future. The 30-year-old, eight years removed from his lone All-Star season, has been hampered by an assortment of injuries over the past two-plus years. He wants to prove he still can make an impact in the league, perhaps with the Warriors.
KP showed enough to look like a legitimate contributor – if he can stay healthy.
Listed as questionable on the injury report (left Achilles tendon injury management) before being cleared two hours before tipoff, Porzingis’ inactivity is apparent; the last time he played three consecutive games was the first week of November.
Moving about the court rather deliberately, with a measured gait, Porzingis fought through the rust well enough to show glimpses of the floor spacing and rim protection that define his value. Playing 17 minutes, he finished with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 2-of-5 from distance. He also blocked two shots.
“I want to get in perfect shape where I can go and not be a half step late, and just be on time,” Porzingis said. “Be quick, and be quick on my feet. The shot wasn’t perfect; a couple shots were a bit flat. These are like things that’s going to take a little bit to catch a good rhythm.”
Porzingis had one assist and two turnovers, both of which were affected by the speed of the game. What KP didn’t do was assert himself in the paint. He grabbed only one rebound, and both blocks were from the help side.
“First game with a new team, it’s always tricky,” Kerr said. “You don’t really know your teammates. You don’t really have a feel for what’s happening. But I thought just from the first half to the second half, he just looked more comfortable and settled in.”
There was a different, more rhythmic Porzingis after halftime. His timing was better, his movement a bit more fluid. He was minus-19 in seven first-half minutes and plus-15 in 10 second-half minutes.
“Yeah, as the game went on, it got better and better,” Porzingis said. “And this is like first step to keep building. I had some opportunities, couple turnovers. I think it’s just a matter of time to get in a better rhythm from this point on.”
Golden State big man Al Horford, who was teammates with Porzingis in Boston, was encouraged by what saw.
“I think he’ll continue to progress and get his legs more underneath him and be able to play some more,” Horford said. “And then, we’ll see the real KP. For a first game after being out for so long, he did a really good job.”
Porzingis has 26 more games to show his goods. The next four – at least – will be without Curry and all 26 will be without Butler. That is the diminished state of the Warriors.
Can Porzingis help this bunch, as currently constituted? Only so much. The limitations are obvious. The best thing he can do is be on the floor often, and provide the front office with impressive evaluation material.
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