The Warriors are spending training camp in Hawaii without Kristaps Porzingis, but the plan around his absence is already coming into focus: keep the floor stretched, keep the offense spaced, and keep moving toward Steve Kerr’s five-out look.
That means work for the bigs who normally wouldn’t be asked to live on the perimeter. Charles Bassey has taken only 13 3-point attempts in 126 NBA games.
Graham Ike attempted 135 threes across a 146-game collegiate career. But on Tuesday, the two were getting reps together on the outside shot, a sign the Warriors are pushing more than just a temporary stopgap.
Spacing from the center spot is the obvious issue if Porzingis is unavailable. He only hit 31.1% from deep in his time with Golden State to close last season, but he remains a career 36.4% shooter from beyond the arc, the kind of big man who can pull defenses out of shape just by standing a step or two behind the line.
Golden State does have another stretch big in Al Horford, though the ideal setup would seem to be keeping the 40-year-old veteran in a bench role. That leaves Bassey and Ike as the more likely candidates to absorb some of the Porzingis minutes, and the organization appears to be nudging them toward that job by asking them to become credible shooters.
Bonta Hill shared video of Graham Ike, Will Richard and Charles Bassey shooting threes, and Kerr said in his presser that he expects the team to play much more five-out offensively this season.
That doesn’t mean a few practice makes solve the problem. Bassey and Ike can work on the shot all they want; the real test is whether it holds up in games and forces defenses to respect them the way they do Porzingis and Horford.
Bassey is the more intriguing name in that group because he’s likely to have a larger role whenever Porzingis sits. He also gave the Warriors a reason to keep watching last season, when he went 15-of-37 from 3-point range - 40.5% - with Santa Cruz in the G League.
The larger picture is hard to miss. Kerr wants Draymond Green taking more threes, and the team is clearly encouraging its bigs to fire away. Golden State already led the league in 3-point attempts last season, and this could be headed even further in that direction.
Whether that’s the right answer is another question. One view is that the Warriors should be looking to diversify more, not less. Another is that Kerr and his staff see the three-point shot as the cleanest way to cover for a roster that has taken a hit without the injured Jimmy Butler.
If Porzingis is out longer than training camp, the challenge gets bigger. But the direction is clear: Golden State is preparing Bassey and Ike to help replace some of what Porzingis brings by making them part of the shooting conversation.
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Warriors Already Have A Center Problem Steve Kerr Must Solve
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Now the attention turns to the center spot in the coming games, including the preseason meeting with the L.A. Clippers, where Golden State figures to keep testing different looks. Kristaps Porzingis is also dealing with an early illness concern that could complicate the picture even more, making the next few days a useful preview of how the Warriors plan to handle a position that suddenly feels a little less settled. [Read more 🡒]