Porzingas' injuries have really limited his defensive impact. he isn't the defender that he used to be, or that he might have been absent injuries. But his offensive numbers--while not superb--are still better than Gobert. In the LAC-DAL series, he put up games of 20, 18, and 19.

So if you think that LAC truly neutralized Gobert's defensive impact AND you think that winning a championship will require you to beat a team like LAC that can spread you out 1-5, then maybe Utah has to commit to winning by outscoring rather than prioritizing defense. Porzingas could fill that need in the postseason, and his contract isn't as onerous as Rudy's. Regular season, it would be a net negative for UTA, as they play teams who can't game plan around Gobert the way LAC and a few others can. But the fact that most people (correctly, IMO) realize that would be a net negative is indicative of the fact that (1)while LAC reduced some of Gobert's impact, they did not completely neutralize it, and (2) there's still value in a defensive presence that helps you lock up the #1 seed in regular season, even if it does hamper you a bit in post-season.

the real problem for most teams is that they can't afford the kind of versatilty that LAC or LAL or BKN get by virtue of their ability to sign starter-level talent for the vet minimum. So they can swing a backup big to adjust to different styles of play in a way that 80% of the league can't do. That's where you see separation in the playoffs, IMO.