Atlanta Hawks Center Kristaps Porzingis Is Putting On A Show Overseas

Time to overreact?

Overreacting to performances like this is common and it might be warranted in this case. Porzingis looks healthy and is flashing the exact skillset that the Hawks need around Trae Young.

Porziņģis averaged 19.5 points, shooting a career-best .412% from three-point territory, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks in 28.8 minutes during the 2024-25 season (.483 FG%, .809 FT%). His .412% from deep ranked 25th in the NBA last season amongst all players and was the second-highest clip amongst all 7-footers, trailing only Karl-Anthony Towns.

He knocked down a career-high tying eight three-pointers twice during the 2024-25 season (Jan. 29 vs. Chicago, April 8 at New York), the only 7-footer in the league to have multiple games with at least eight three-pointers. He owns four career outings with eight made triples, the only 7-footer in league history to have four such games.

Over the course of his nine-year career, Porziņģis has appeared in 501 games (500 starts), owning averages of 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks in 30.8 minutes (.461 FG%, .366 3FG%, .829 FT%). The 2018 NBA All-Star is one of only eight players in NBA history to average at least 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks (min. 500 games played) and one of only two active players to do so, joining Anthony Davis. His 1.81 blocks per game currently ranks sixth-best amongst all active NBA players.

Top Offseason Acquisition?

A recent article from CBS Sports NBA analyst Brad Botkin named him the fourth-best "non-star" acquisition of the offseason:

"Atlanta had an extraordinary summer. Nickeil Alexander-Walker could just as easily be listed here, but he was one of the most coveted free agents (weak class, but still), so I'm going to focus on Kristaps Porziņģis, who could end up taking the Hawks to another level if he can stay healthy.

As mentioned above, size matters again in the NBA and the Hawks now have two centers in Onyeka Okongwu and Porziņģis who complement one another well enough to actually share the court rather than just swap in for one another (as was the case with Okongwu and Clint Capela).

Beyond that, Porziņģis' fit with Trae Young has nuclear potential. With Young's ability to get into the paint and Porziņģis popping well beyond the 3-point line, good luck surviving defensively in all that space and covering Jalen Johnson streaking to the rim. It doesn't matter what poison you pick. They're all deadly.

Defensively, imagine a closing lineup in which Young is surrounded by Johnson, Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Porziņģis, who held opponents to a 42% conversion rate as the primary defender last season, a better mark than both Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis. That's pretty damn good, and it's Porziņģis who brings it all together on both ends.

The Hawks have built a team in specific support of Young. They've turned their wing defense into an elite, crack-covering unit, and now they have a top-shelf rim protector in Porziņģis. If Young can't win with this kind of team, as long as the collective health holds up, there isn't going to be anywhere else to point the finger."

If this is the type of play that the Hawks get from Porzingis, they could be an Eastern Conference contender.

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