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21 hours ago
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The San Antonio Spurs don’t have the best options to turn to when star center Victor Wembanyama heads to the bench, which was evident in the NBA Finals vs. the New York Knicks.
Luke Kornet may be a fan-favorite due to his high energy and fearless play style, but he doesn’t possess the skill necessary to pick up the slack in Wembanyama’s absence. Additionally, Kelly Olynyk and Bismack Biyombo aren’t regular rotational guys, making it pivotal to find a viable backup center this summer.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn recently identified a Golden State Warriors NBA champion veteran frontcourt stud as a potential free agent target for the franchise.
“Here's the luxury option I'm more excited about: Kristaps Porzingis,” Quinn wrote last Sunday. “Golden State has the advantage with Bird Rights, but if the Warriors are saving their money for James or another similarly splashy addition, Porzingis might be gettable at the mid-level.”
“San Antonio is one of the few teams capable of managing his load to the degree he probably needs at this point. He'd never have to play another back-to-back. His minutes could be minimized with Kornet also in place as a backup center.”
“But in higher-leverage games like the seven they know to expect against the Thunder next spring, he could both clean up the Wembanyama bench minutes and potentially play some stretches alongside him.”
Obviously, Porzingis isn’t in the same stratosphere as Wembanyama at this stage of his career. However, there’s a reason why the former New York Knicks All-Star has also earned the unicorn label in the big leagues.
Porzingis, who possesses video-game-like length, has a solid resume as a pick-and-pop threat, a simple yet effective off-the-dribble playmaker against guards and big men, and a skilled shot blocker regardless of the opponent.
The 30-year-old averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game with Golden State this year in 15 outings following his midseason trade from the Atlanta Hawks to the Warriors (he struggled with his perimeter shooting efficiency, though).
While Porzingis is one of the most talented centers on the market, he’s been susceptible to devastating injuries lately, and according to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, the Warriors want to re-sign the Liepaja, Latvia native to a new deal this summer.
Those two factors make the idea of San Antonio bringing Porzingis on board a bit far-fetched.
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