The Warriors not sure when yet Kristaps Porzingis will be able to return it from his health issuewrites Nick Friedel of The Athletic. Head coach Steve Kerr said Thursday that he had no details on Porzingis’ condition and that there was no timetable for his return.
“He’s gone today” Kerr said after the team’s practice. “Obviously we’ve been busy in Hawaii and Portland. … So I will contact KP today and check with him, but nothing new to report.”
As Friedel points out, Porzingis has suffered from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) for the past two seasons, but there has been no confirmation as to whether the health issue that now sidelines him is related to that diagnosis. Warriors officials have consistently declined to discuss the specific timeline of Porzingis’ health since he was acquired from Atlanta last offseason.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Link to video on Twitter) hears the Warriors are “preparing” for Porzingis to miss the start of the regular season.
Here are some more Warriors-related notes:
- With virtually every starter and rotation player inactive for Wednesday’s preseason game against Portland, the Warriors got an impressive outing from guard Brandon Williamswho has a non-guaranteed contract and is vying for a roster spot. Williams scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 18 minutes of action, along with four assists and three rebounds. The fifth-year student shows that he can score goals off the bench, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Areaand is pushing for not only a roster spot but possibly a rotation spot this preseason.
- U detailed story for ESPN.comAnthony Slater explores how Yaksel Landeborg has become a key part of Golden State’s future and shares the early impression the rookie forward made on his teammates and coaches. “He’s going to play a ton,” Kerr said of Landeborg. “Honestly, he deserves it. He’s already one of our best players.”
- While the Warriors are excited about Landeborg’s potential, they want to temper expectations somewhat about what kind of impact he will have as a rookie, Slater notes. “The nature of our league and social media and the whole microscope is that they’re going to expect him to be a 20-8-6 guy right out of the gate or whatever number you put on him.” Stephen Curry said. “But his job is to block all of that. He’ll know if he’s having an impact. He’ll know if he’s helping win games. The stats and the numbers will follow. Our job is to protect him on that.”
- In case you missed itThe Warriors are back at the top of Sportico’s annual list of the NBA’s most valuable franchises, with the team’s estimated value soaring to $14.5 billion.
