Kristaps Porzingis Reveals Scary Health Details From Playoff Run
Kristaps Porzingis is now a member of the Atlanta Hawks, but it was less than three months ago that the 29-year-old was playing in his final game with the Boston Celtics.
Only four days after superstar Jayson Tatum crumpled to the Madison Square Garden hardwood in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a ruptured Achilles, Porzingis and the rest of the Celtics were eliminated by the New York Knicks in Game 6.
It was painfully clear (and heavily reported) that Porzingis wasn’t right during the postseason, as he battled a mysterious respiratory illness that impacted his production. The Latvian big man finished the playoffs averaging just 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 21.0 minutes per game across 11 contests while posting a .316/.154/.689 shooting line.
In a recent interview with Sports Studija (conducted in Latvian), Porzingis opened up about his health issues, recovery and trade to the Hawks.
“I feel fantastic, to be honest,” the former fourth overall pick said, as translated in an article by basketnews.com. “I took time to rest after the season. Something was lingering during the playoffs — I had fatigue, dizziness, even moments where I felt like I might faint. It wasn’t great.”
Porzingis was shipped out of Boston in early July as part of a three-team trade that saw veteran power forward Georges Niang land with the Celtics.
“In June, I fully rested and lowered the intensity. All of that has gone away. I haven’t felt any of the playoff symptoms anymore. I feel great and ready to join the national team. Super happy,” he said.
Porzingis said that amid trade rumors at the beginning of the offseason, he first thought he might get moved to one particular Western Conference team.
“After the season, I spoke to my agent and kind of expected that one or more of us would be traded. For a while, I thought I might end up with the Spurs, but then Atlanta came in — and that was a nice surprise. It was out of my hands,” the one-time All-Star said.