Warriors explain injury return plan for Kristaps Porzingis

SAN FRANCISCO – As he went through the Warriors’ light Tuesday practice, Brandin Podziemski only had time to watch one Kristaps Porzingis possession during a 3-on-3 drill. 

It could be a sign of things to come. 

“He was doubled in the post, and he threw it out for a 3,” Podziemski revealed. 

Golden State traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Hawks for Porzingis, a 7-foot-2 sharpshooter and prolific shot-blocker with iffy health. 

Porzingis partook in an introductory press conference on Saturday, but will not make his on-court debut until after the All-Star break.

Coach Steve Kerr said he is hopeful the new addition will be ready to take the floor on Feb. 19 against Boston, which also happens to be the same day the Warriors expect to bring back Steph Curry.

“He was close to returning for Atlanta, and that was one of the reasons we made the trade, because our performance staff did their due diligence and felt like he would be on track to play shortly after the break,” Kerr said. “That’s still the hope.”

Porzingis has only played in 17 games this season, has not played in a back-to-back since 2024, and has dealt with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) for several years. 

The Warriors will need to see more than a few good possessions in half-court 3-on-3 from Porzingis before they bring him back. 

“He needs to play some full-court, he needs to get up and down,” Kerr said. 

During his introductory press conference, Porzingis joked that he hoped to play the full 48 minutes in his return. More realistically, the 30-year-old big man, who has played at least 60 games in a season only once in the past seven years, will have his minutes gradually ramped up. He also will likely join De’Anthony Melton and his former Boston Celtics teammate Al Horford in the group of Warriors who do not play in both legs of back-to-backs. 

“I’d imagine when he comes back, it’ll be in short bursts,” Kerr noted. 

When he does come back, he will join a center rotation that includes a revitalized Horford, Draymond Green and Quinten Post. 

However, with all due respect to Post and Horford, Porzingis is in his own class as a long-range bomber at a 36.6% on 3-point shots for his career.

“It’s not just the shooting range, it’s how quickly he gets it off in the pick and pop,” Kerr said. “We can run actions for him, pin-downs and that sort of thing. Normally, big guys are kind of stationary, stand-still guys. He can shoot off the move, and it’s pretty incredible.”

Porzingis will also give a jolt to the Warriors’ half-court defense. 

Per the NBA’s statistical database, players guarded by him make only 5.7 of their 13.7 shots attempted. That rate, 41.4%, is a whole 8.3% lower than the league average. 

Porzingis is a plus-minus darling, with the Hawks being a stellar 7.6 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor compared to off it, albeit in a small sample size.

Even if it is only in short stints, the Warriors sound optimistic that he can replicate that kind of impact in the Bay Area once he returns. Kerr said Porzingis is already developing chemistry with his new teammates. The Warriors gave him Kuminga’s old locker, situated between Gui Santos and ex-Boston teammate Horford.

The Warriors will play San Antonio at 7 p.m. Wednesday for their final game before the All-Star break.