Steve Kerr Gives Updates on Porzingis' Role, Minutes Restriction

On Saturday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that he will increase Kristaps Porzingis' minutes in Golden State's next game against the Nuggets on Sunday.

Porzingis played just 17 minutes against the Celtics. It was Porzingis' first game since Jan. 7 due to Achilles tendinitis.

Kerr also said Porzingis will come off the bench Sunday. Porzingis has started in 512 of his 519 career regular-season games, but six of those games off the bench have come this season with the Hawks and Warriors.

Porzingis Should Be Starting Soon

It might be a few more games of Porzingis coming off the bench, but soon enough, Porzingis will be starting.

I'm pretty sure nobody is arguing against this, but just to state the obvious, he's too good on the offensive end to be starting the game on the bench.

Including his 17 games in Atlanta, he's averaging 25.4 points per 36 minutes, which ranks second on the Warriors, only behind Stephen Curry's rate of 31.3 points per 36 minutes.

When Porzingis starts, the Warriors will have to decide whether to start a lineup with Gui Santos, Draymond Green and Porzingis or a lineup without either Green or Santos.

It's a fascinating decision. I detailed why I'd have Green come off the bench here.

But Kerr has made no indication that he's about to bench Green. If anything, he's made it clear he'll continue starting Green when Stephen Curry is back from his knee injury.

“I've got to do a better job of helping Draymond,” Kerr told reporters Friday. “The game is so different without Steph. Those two guys have built such a rapport. For 14 years now, they've been playing together. The two-man game with those two guys has been our bread and butter. And when Steph goes out, it really changes everything in terms of how defenses guard us, and it impacts Draymond probably more than anybody.”

In any event, Kerr won't have to make that decision until Porzingis is ramped up enough to be a starter. The fact that his minutes restriction is going up is a good sign he's on his way.