Boston Celtics
The Warriors picked up Porzingis at the trade deadline, ending his brief stint with Atlanta.
Kristaps Porzingis Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe
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When the Celtics visit the Warriors Thursday night, there’s a chance they could see a familiar face in a new jersey. Golden State traded for Kristaps Porzingis two weeks ago, but he has yet to appear in a game for them.
Porzingis has been out since Jan. 7 while dealing with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and left Achilles tendinitis. He has been limited to just 17 games this season. It’s not yet clear whether he’ll play against the Celtics.
“Kristaps has been here the last handful of days,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Practiced (Tuesday) with the team. Looking good. He’s feeling good. We won’t make a determination until after (Wednesday), when we practice (Wednesday) afternoon. We’ll get up and down the floor and scrimmage.”
Despite the number of missed games, Kerr said he anticipates Porzingis being an “easy fit” with the Warriors.
“You don’t have to change a whole lot,” Kerr said. “The biggest difference that he provides is his post-ups. He’s a pretty good post-up player, especially against switches. You throw him the ball at the foul-line, the elbows, even the low block, he can score in those spots.”
“That was one of the things we did [Wednesday], we worked on our spacing. It’s a little different than the spacing around Jimmy [Butler]. Jimmy is a guy who is going to attack the rim, get to the basket, and kick out from that area whereas Kristaps is more of a scorer, shooter from iso spots, but similar concepts for everybody else. We’ve got to understand when there’s a mismatch.”
Steve Kerr said the Warriors worked on their spacing around Kristaps Porzingis post ups tonight: “It’s a little different than our spacing around Jimmy…Kristaps is more of a scorer, shooter from iso spots.” pic.twitter.com/iVP5llTQsp
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 18, 2026
Porzingis is averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists this season. He’s shooting 45.7 percent from the field, a noticeable dip from both of his seasons playing in Boston with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday in the starting lineup.
The 7-foot-2 Porzingis remains a versatile scoring threat at 30 years old. He’s an efficient scorer in the low post, and he has touch on his midrange jumper. He’s a career 36 percent 3-point shooter.
The Warriors are Porzingis’s third team since the end of last season. The Celtics traded Porzingis to the Hawks in the offseason in a move that helped them get below the second luxury tax apron. Then, the Hawks traded Porzingis to Golden State for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Porzingis will join former Celtic Al Horford in the Warriors’ front court. Butler is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Golden State has been without Stephen Curry since Jan. 30.
In an interview with The Mirror, Horford was asked what the Warriors’ ceiling might look like with Porzingis in the mix.
“You can always get caught on potential,” Horford said. “But, I think that the biggest thing for us is to make sure that we’re playing the right way, that we’re looking to get better as the season goes on and I believe that we have a great opportunity here in these next few days to do that. And I think that we’ll get much more clarity once we have a full roster healthy.”
“Obviously, Steph is the most important, and then getting KP here too and getting him acclimated very quickly. I think that we have, once all that comes together, I think we have a chance.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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