SAN FRANCISCO — Kristaps Porziņģis has enjoyed his short time with the Golden State Warriors.
The 30-year-old big man, who was acquired before February’s trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks, is playing well — and most importantly, finally appears to be healthy. He’s finding his rhythm, fitting seamlessly in the locker room and looking forward to sharing the floor with star guard Stephen Curry as early as Sunday against the Houston Rockets.
After injuries have derailed the past two seasons, Porziņģis looks like he is playing without worry again. The Warriors have given him a platform to showcase his game, even as some around the league wondered whether he could stay healthy.
Porziņģis has earned well over $200 million in his career and is in the final year of a two-year, $60 million deal he originally signed with the Boston Celtics. He is open to staying with the Warriors past this season as they prepare for one more run behind Curry, but as Porziņģis enters what could be the final two weeks in his brief stint with the Warriors, he’s keeping an open mind about his future.
When asked if he would like to remain in Golden State, the veteran big man didn’t commit.
“It’s hard to say,” Porziņģis told The Athletic after Thursday’s 118-111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Of course, it would be nice for me to go ahead and say, ‘Yes, I want to continue here,’ and this and that.
“But the reality is I didn’t have a good year at all. I barely showed what I’m capable of. And so I have to see what’s out there.”
In 12 games with the Warriors (36-41), Porziņģis is averaging 17.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He has dealt with some health setbacks over his time, including missing two weeks with an illness after debuting on Feb. 19. Porziņģis acknowledged that the illness was at least partially related to his postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) diagnosis. Still, he didn’t want to go into detail.
Since returning on March 7, Porziņģis has remained in the lineup, though he has still not played in both sides of a back-to-back. He still believes he can play a lot better than he has shown to this point.
“For me, I just wanted first to get to decent shape,” Porziņģis said. “Take care of that. Which I am kind of working my way into. And then seeing the whole picture, kind of taking a step back, not to put too much pressure on myself. It’s been a year like that, and we’ll see.
“Honestly, the team is great here. I haven’t gotten a chance to play with Steph yet, but the team is great, the city is great, the organization is fantastic. The only thing is the time difference with Europe — it’s 10 hours, it’s too much. But everything else, I enjoy it here.”
Porziņģis was joking about the time difference, but like many within the Warriors organization, he is eager to play with Curry. One of the main reasons Curry has pushed to return to the court is to build chemistry with Porziņģis and explore how their games complement one another.
For his part, Porziņģis is just as curious. However, he deflected a question about how much that partnership would factor into his offseason decision.
“Who knows? Maybe we get out there and we can’t play together,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know. Steph doesn’t like to play with me — who knows? So obviously, I have to take that into account. But I think, with the experience that he has and, obviously, myself now at this point in my career, we will click.
“He draws so much attention that it’s gonna make everybody’s life easier. So I expect that. I expect that for myself and for the team. It’s just gonna ease things up. But I also have to learn how to play with him a little bit for sure. It takes time to get some good rhythm, but we definitely as a team, we look forward to it.”
Porziņģis’ teammates are certainly looking forward to seeing how the pair works together.
“That will be crazy,” Warriors forward Gui Santos said. “You’ve got Porziņģis, who can do whatever he wants in the paint. You’ve got Steph, who can do whatever he wants in the whole court. So, a pick-and-roll between both, I don’t know who can guard that. That’s going to be really, really interesting to watch the next couple games.”
Since he arrived in the Bay, Porziņģis hasn’t been surprised by how naturally he has fit into the organization.
“I think it’s just the type of player I am,” he said. “I can kind of fit into any system. I think the team realized pretty quickly what I’m capable of in the post and drawing attention, and creating for myself and creating for the team.
“But I still feel like I have levels to get to. In terms of shape, in terms of rustiness, and I still — I’m not too happy with how I’m playing right now. But step by step, and we’re getting Steph back also. That’s super exciting for me.”
What’s also exciting for Porziņģis is the comfort level he has found with Rick Celebrini, the vice president of player health and performance. Porziņģis recently drew attention for saying that Celebrini was the “GOAT” in his field, an opinion he doubled down on.
While Porziņģis remains unsure where he will land this summer, he admits his strong connection with Celebrini will factor into his decision.
“That’s definitely (something) I have to take into account,” he said. “I believe I’m in incredible hands here. And that means something. When you have a really strong staff with somebody like me, maybe that’s had some injuries throughout their career … to be in the best hands, it makes a difference for me to stay out there healthy.”
For Porziņģis, the final five games of the regular season and postseason are less about what’s behind him and more about what’s next. Will he get to play with Curry? Can he stay healthy? And perhaps most importantly, where does his future lie — in Golden State, or beyond?
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