Kristaps Porzingis is eager to play with Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
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Kristaps Porzingis is eager to play with Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
With just nine games remaining in the regular season, after which the Golden State Warriors will play at least one play-in tournament game, time is running short on the hopes the team had to measure up the prospective pairing of new center Kristaps Porzingis and point guard Stephen Curry. While there is not much the Warriors can do to alter their future without seeing the two work together, at the very least, getting a look at how they play off each other has the potential of making the Dubs feel a lot better about giving Porzingis a free-agent contract this offseason.
The Warriors acquired Porzingis at the February 5 trade deadline in a deal with the Hawks for forward Jonathan Kuminga, the much-maligned 23-year-old former No. 7 pick. Golden State intends to re-sign Porzingis both because the team feels he can be a game-changing big man, and because it would be very poor optics if the team dumps the player it got for Kuminga four months after the trade.
But seeing Curry and Porzingis on the floor has proven elusive. Not only has Porzingis been out with a series of ailments (calf, illness, back) but Curry has not played since the end of January because of a knee problem.
Kristaps Porzingis: Stephen Curry ‘Has Changed the Game’
Porzingis, for one, would like to get a look at how the Warriors would look with an offensive combo of him and Curry together as an inside-out combo. With the deliberate midrange game of Jimmy Butler–who’s out with a torn ACL–Golden State could be dangerous.
“I mean if you have an opportunity to play with him, you want that, of course,” Porzingis said. “He has changed the game, you know? Just to be on the same team, just to be around him and stuff, even without playing, it’s pretty cool and to learn from him, hear how he sees the game and stuff. It’s something you don’t take for granted.
“And of course, of course just to feel his gravity on the floor. I know how it is to play against him, you know, so to be on the good side of that would be very fun.”
Warriors Hope to Bring the Band Back in 2026-27
Indeed, health is the only thing separating the Warriors from one of the most intriguing starting fives in the NBA, and there is some hope that the Warriors will be able to run it all back next year, no matter how the remainder of 2025-26 plays out.
The problem, of course, is that Porzingis is rarely healthy. So far, he has averaged 15.9 points and is helping the Warriors generate frontcourt offense in a way that would be even more intriguing with Curry on board.
He has been healthy, though, for only nine of the 22 games the Warriors have had since acquiring him. Porzingis has missed time with a calf injury, an illness and, most recently, a back injury. In his career, Porzingis has played only 61% of his potential regular-season games.
If he returns to the Warriors and assuming Curry plays again in 2026-27, the possibilities are fun to consider. But health will still be an issue.