A day after Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Otto Porter Jr. should be available to play, he was ruled out of Thursday night’s contest against the Sacramento Kings with lower back tightness. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported, Porter had been sitting on back-to-backs while managing his left foot that has a history of injuries.
The fact that Porter is listed with a new injury is something of a concern. The 28-year-old has dealt with back and foot issues that limited him to just 42 games the previous two seasons.
On Wednesday, Kerr told 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” why Porter has been so vital to the Warriors’ success since Draymond Green went out with a calf/back disc issue on Jan. 9. You can listen to the full interview above.
“For me, the key guy is Otto Porter in all of this,” Kerr said. “Because Otto is an incredibly smart player on both ends and gives us the floor spacing on offense to give us a little different look without Draymond. We miss Draymond’s playmaking, but in order make up for that, we try to make up with more shooting on the floor, more spacing. Otto has been great with that. He’s such a good team defender that we’ve been able to hold down the fort with him at the four.”
Kerr didn't provide any more info on Porter's status during his pregame press conference Thursday, but this is definitely something to keep an eye on for the rest of the season. In his place, rookie Moses Moody got this third straight start.
