The Golden State Warriors are gearing up for another late-season playoff push. Last year, they were catalyze by the Jimmy Butler trade that led them to finish the season 23-7 and slide into the 7th seed. This year, they'll be without Butler due to his torn ACL, but they do have another trade deadline addition that they're hoping can help lead a similar run.

Kristaps Porzingis was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks the night before the trade deadline in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, and though he's been injured recently, the "Unicorn" can still ball out when healthy. With his return set for the first game after the All-Star break, the Warriors will be able to get their first taste of what the 7-foot-2 big man can bring to the Bay Area.

Warriors point guard Pat Spencer discussed what his first impression of Porzingis was and how he's been integrating into the Warriors' locker room.

"Great dude. Super easy to talk to. Outgoing. Outside looking in, I always thought he was kind of a quiet guy (and) pretty reserved. But he's just super easy to talk to. Good dude and he's been around for a long time."

Spencer might not see too much time alongside Porzingis if Steve Kerr opts to keep Porzingis playing next to the starters and Pat Spencer remains a bench leader, but it's nonetheless great to hear that the Latvian is mixing in well with everybody on the team.

Porzingis will naturally be inserted into the starting lineup when he's healthy. Next to Draymond Green, the pair should make for a dominant defensive frontcourt, no matter what three players are paired with them.

However, it would be wise for Kerr to also experiment with the double big lineup of Porzingis and Al Horford. Of course, the veteran duo won a championship together in Boston back in 2024, and their impact when they were on the floor together was undeniable.

When the two were on the court together — 588 minutes in 2023-24 and 420 minutes in 2024-25 — their impact was incredible. In 2023-24, their net rating was +11.7, and in 2024-25, their net rating was +10.8. The latter mark was the highest net rating among any two-man combination for the Celtics that year that played at least 150 minutes together. 

They were monsters defensively, increasing rebounding and block rates at sky-high margins, and simply wreaked havoc as a big man duo with their length and versatility on defense that combined with their elite shooting and playmaking on the offensive end.

Both are admittedly older and more injured nowadays, but in short spurts, or even to close games, the two should still be able to have a similar impact together.