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Apr 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

How Does Kristaps Porzingis fit in Atlanta?

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Kahlil McCuller | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 11:55 AM ET

In Atlanta, this offseason, the Hawks were at a crossroads as the team had missed the playoffs for a second straight season and were looking for answers as to how they would likely build the team moving forward. The Hawks' ownership decided that, despite having a significantly young team, they wanted to make the necessary moves to accelerate the process and win now. They made shifts around the front office and made a splashy trade for Kristaps Porzingis.

In this trade, however, the Hawks were immediately viewed as potential contenders in the Eastern Conference. Still, after a day or so, they were regarded as one of the lesser rebuilding teams in the conference. The reason for them being looked at as a potential contender was that many of the conference's powerhouse teams were dealing with problems from a lack of roster construction and injuries to key players. Today, we will be taking a look at how Porzingis, even though he is a star-caliber player, can contribute to the Hawks this season, which will make them a likely threat to the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Kristaps Porzingis mismatch hunting and post-up creation

ATL added one of the most efficient self-creators overall in the league: 95th% in self-created FGA with a +11.3 rTS% on creation looks + 97th% post scorer over the past 3 seasons averaging 1.23 PPP. pic.twitter.com/JoxNqB1NNN
— #InSnyderWeTrust (@dlee4three) July 7, 2025

How does he fit?

For the Hawks, they have been desperately looking for a All-Star-caliber player to pair with Trae Young in Atlanta. Unfortunately, three years ago, they tried with Dejounte Murray, which ended poorly, as both players are point guards who need the ball in their hands at all times. Porzingis, however, gives Young the player that he's been missing his whole time in Atlanta, which is a pick-and-roll partner who can space the floor, play inside the paint offensively, and be dominant defensively at an All-Star caliber level.

Porzingis brings veteran experience to Atlanta that has been lacking for some time now, as he has valuable playoff and championship-level experience. This past season, Porzingis had struggled in Boston, as they were unable to identify a sickness that he had faced come postseason time, which effectively diminished his value to many teams as he was absent for much of the season and struggled in the playoffs. In Atlanta, they are looking to build defensively and from three-point range, where Porzingis excels, as he had shooting splits of 48/41/81% on a team that he played under 30 minutes a game while averaging close to 20 at 19.5 PPG.

This summer, Porzingis was also seen playing in EuroBasket, where many people felt like he had shown signs of turning back the clock. This made many Hawks fans excited to see what could possibly be on the way next month when the NBA season starts.

Kristaps Porzingis looked like a shell of himself just a few months ago

Now, he’s getting MVP chants at EuroBasket and making deep 3s look effortless

It’s good to have the unicorn back pic.twitter.com/1fl8wPJ6kN
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) September 1, 2025