Warriors' Kerr: We've never had a player like Porzingis
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is excited about everything Kristaps Porzingis brings to the table.
"When he's right, he's a helluva player," Kerr told reporters Thursday, including ESPN's Anthony Slater. "You're looking at a guy who really fits what we need - size, space, shooting, rim protection. Every team needs that, but we've always needed that since we've been here. We've never had a player quite like him."
The Warriors acquired Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks late Wednesday in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Porzingis should immediately slot into the Warriors' starting center position and has the flexibility to slide to the four when needed. He's averaged 19.6 points and 1.8 blocks and shot 36.6% from deep over his 10-year career.
However, Porzingis has struggled to remain healthy since being selected fourth overall in 2015. He's been limited to 17 appearances this season due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and left Achilles tendinitis.
Kerr says the Warriors' medical staff did its "due diligence" on Porzingis before pulling the trigger on a trade.
"I don't think we would've made the trade if we didn't think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup," Kerr said. "That's the plan."
Golden State sits eighth in the West with a 28-24 record following Thursday's comeback win over the Phoenix Suns.