No Timetable on Porzingis Turns Camp Minutes Into Necessity
With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined indefinitely and no return date from either team or reporters, the minutes Miles Kelly, Dalen Terry and Charles Bassey have piled up this preseason look less like audition tape and more like the actual plan.
RealGM and The Athletic both reported today that the Warriors have no timetable for Porzingis, who has missed the preseason since September 28 with an undisclosed health issue. Golden State hosts Sacramento Saturday with zero days' rest, the second game of a back-to-back, and Al Horford back on the active list after being cleared Thursday.
No answer on Porzingis
RealGM and The Athletic each reported today that the Warriors have no timetable for Kristaps Porzingis, sidelined since September 28 by what Anthony Slater described only as a health issue, with no diagnosis reported since. ESPN's Slater added this week that the Warriors need Yaxel Lendeborg's development fast-tracked, which reads less like patience and more like a team planning around Porzingis rather than for him.
Horford clears, the frontcourt shifts
Al Horford moved from day-to-day to cleared on Thursday, giving Kerr a second veteran big alongside Charles Bassey while Porzingis stays out. Bassey has answered the opportunity: 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 24 minutes against Portland, one of six Warriors players in double figures in a 118-123 loss.
Sacramento arrives shorthanded too
The Kings come to Chase Center Saturday under Doug Christie off a 22-60 season, with Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk all day-to-day. It is the second game of a back-to-back for Golden State, which has zero days' rest; Sacramento has yet to play its preseason opener.
The number that matters
Miles Kelly hit 6 of 11 threes and scored 24 points against Portland, the team high, on a night nine regulars stayed home. That kind of production from the back of the roster is exactly what Golden State will need if Porzingis's absence stretches toward the October 21 opener at the Lakers.
When will Kristaps Porzingis return for the Warriors?
There is no timetable. RealGM and The Athletic both reported October 9 that the Warriors don't know when Porzingis will be back from the health issue that has kept him out since September 28.
Is Al Horford available for the Warriors against the Kings?
Horford was cleared from day-to-day status on October 8, making him available after missing time, though Golden State hasn't announced its rotation for the Kings game.
