Kristaps Porziņģis’ absence has Warriors scrambling for alternate lineup plans

Kristaps Porziņģis’ absence has Warriors scrambling for alternate lineup plans originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Day 12 of the Kristaps Porziņģis Watch passed Friday without a sighting from the Warriors. There is an update of sorts, as director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini made contract with the team’s projected starting center.

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“Rick spoke with him (Thursday),” coach Steve Kerr said after a light practice.

Meanwhile, the Porziņģis conundrum continues to leave a considerable gap in the roster. During the best of times with Golden State last season, there were days when KP could fill the void and days when Kerr and his staff were forced to turn to an alternate plan.

Plan B was a concession then, and it’s only slightly better now that Plans C, D, E and F have been added to the roster.

When I asked Kerr if he knew how his big-man rotation would look, the coach acknowledged that with the regular-season opener 12 days away, it remains a work in progress.

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“We haven’t figured it out,” he said.

There are five options. Plan B is veteran Al Horford, who won’t be available for back-to-back sets and hasn’t been for four years. Plan C is veteran Draymond Green, whose nights at center continue to exist despite a desire to minimize them. Plan D is Charles Bassey, who played five games after being added late last season. Plan E is rookie Graham Ike, holding a two-way contract. Plan F is promising rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who already looks like a utility man out of necessity.

“Both Graham and Charles were really impressive the other night, getting good reps in camp, and we’re going to need both of them during the year,” Kerr said. “And then if Kristaps isn’t here, the question would be: Do we start big with Al or Charles? Or do we start Draymond at the 5 and Yaxel at the four, maybe Gui (Santos at small forward) to give us some size and playmaking.”

At issue is Kerr’s commitment to bring the offense in line with the current NBA. He wants to play 5-out, meaning five perimeter-shooting threats that can be spaced around the 3-point arc. Porziņģis is one of…

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Publish date : 2026-10-09 17:33:00

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