Warriors star Steph Curry discusses impact of Kristaps Porziņģis' absence

Warriors star Steph Curry discusses impact of Kristaps Porziņģis' absence originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry reflected on the absence of Kristaps Porziņģis after the Warriors’ 127-105 season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It’s a hard one, for all reasons,” Curry said Wednesday night. “For him personally, first and foremost, but us as a team knowing you have an idea of who you are coming into a season.”

It is appearing ever-increasingly likely that a world without Porziņģis is the new reality the Warriors are going to have to adjust to going forward. It was reported on Wednesday that Porziņģis is considering retirement in light of his ongoing battle with POTS, a neurological and autoimmune disease. The same report also shared that the Warriors are exploring trading Porziņģis, either as an active player or a retired contract, as his absence from the team has been extended indefinitely — if he even returns at all.

“We always say availability is a big factor for our team with the guys we already have out,” Curry said. “It’s no secret that spot was an important one for us, especially with his skill set.”

The skill set Porziņģis brings to the table was sorely missed during Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers, particularly his rim protection. Los Angeles had 66 points in the paint and shot 57% as a team. Walker Kessler, the Lakers’ starting center, had 26 points on perfect 12-of-12 shooting — including 10 dunks.

“It’s hard to talk about it without even the humanity of it in mind, but it is a tough one to figure out for now, [and] for the future,” Curry said. “You had a good look of what we were supposed to be as a team. We have to overcome that, obviously. We would love to have him here.”

There currently is no timetable for Porziņģis’ return to the court, and nearly everything about his status remains unknown to all parties involved. Porziņģis was away from the team from the start of training camp, then returned to the team facility for the first time on October 13. Porziņģis’ coaches and teammates have described seeing him sparingly, if at all. Porziņģis’ teammates, coaches, and Dub Nation will be wishing him the best and a speedy return to the court — both for his sake and the greater good of the team.

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