Kristaps Porzingis to meet with Warriors’ medical staff, reports mercurynews.com
Kristaps Porzingis to Meet With Warriors Medical Staff in San Francisco
Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis is scheduled to meet with the team’s medical staff at Chase Center in San Francisco following a two-week absence, mercurynews.com reported. Porzingis has been ruled out with an undisclosed health issue since team media day on September 29, missing the entirety of training camp in Hawaii and all preseason contests.
Evaluating the Recovery Timeline Before Opening Night
With the regular season opening in just nine days, Warriors coach Steve Kerr declined to commit to having Porzingis in the rotation for the October 21 opening night matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles. “All that will be determined once we get him back here and have discussions and figure out where he is and all that stuff,” Kerr said after practice, as reported by mercurynews.com. Porzingis will specifically consult with Rick Celebrini, the team’s director of sports medicine and performance, along with the broader performance team while the rest of the roster remains in Las Vegas for a preseason game against the Lakers.
Porzingis arrived via a February trade from the Atlanta Hawks, appearing in only 15 games for the Warriors last season and 32 total games. Despite the limited appearance record, he signed a two-year, $40 million contract extension with the franchise in June. Across his decade-long career, Porzingis has averaged 53 appearances per season.
Kerr Adjusts Frontcourt Rotations During Porzingis Absence
In the continued absence of Porzingis, the Warriors have had to adjust their frontcourt rotations during the preseason schedule. Coach Kerr indicated he is leaning toward utilizing veteran Al Horford primarily off the bench during the regular season, citing Horford’s injury history and a restriction that limits him to playing roughly 20 minutes a night. Horford did not travel to Las Vegas for rest reasons.
