Kristaps Porziņģis Confident Mysterious Illness Is Under Control After Second Warriors Game

Kristaps Porziņģis believes the illness he has been dealing with can be managed.

The 30-year-old center played just his second game with the Warriors on Saturday after arriving via trade on February 5, and feels like he’ll be more available moving forward. Porziņģis made his debut for Golden State on February 19 and looked rusty in 17 minutes during a 121–110 loss to the Celtics. He wouldn’t see the court again for weeks.

A lot of mystery has surrounded Porziņģis’s availability. He missed nearly a month before the Hawks sent him to the Warriors before the trade deadline. Before the season, Porziņģis revealed he had been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. It’s a condition that can increase a patient’s heart rate when standing, and can lead to extreme exhaustion and dizziness.

On Saturday, after returning to the court and playing for 23 minutes in a loss to the Thunder, Porziņģis said believes his condition can be managed.

After claiming it was “stinging me a little bit” to be absent from the lineup, he said, “I believe I will be healthy now. This is how I feel.”

“I felt like my body is coming back to what it needs to be,” he continued. “One workout [before the game] and felt pretty decent.”

Porziņģis had nine points, five rebounds and five assists against Oklahoma City, and went 3-of-10 from the field and 0-of-3 from three-point range. While the performance likely isn’t what he’d hoped for, the fact that he was on the court was a huge win.

Kristaps Porziņģis has missed numerous games dating back to 2024–25 season with Celtics

Porziņģis has missed a lot of games over the past two seasons. Starting in 2024-25 as a member of the Celtics, he’s only played in 42 regular season games in that span.

He began showing signs of POTS in February of 2025 after suffering an upper-respiratory illness. His performance in the second half of the 2024–25 campaign suffered as a result, particularly in the postseason. He played in 11 playoff games last season, averaging 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 21.0 minutes per game, while his field goal percentage fell to 31.6%, and his three-point percentage bottomed out at 15.4%.

He was finally diagnosed with POTS during the offseason. The diagnosis wasn’t the end of his troubles, though.

Boston traded Porziņģis to the Hawks over the summer as part of a three-team trade that involved the Nets. After arriving in Atlanta, he only played 17 games, missing weeks at a time due to his struggles with fatigue. When he did see the floor, Porziņģis only averaged 24.3 minutes per game.

Why the Warriors need Porziņģis healthy

The Celtics sent Porziņģis and a second-round pick to Atlanta, while receiving George Niang and a 2031 second-rounder. The Nets landed Terance Mann and the draft rights to Drake Powell in the deal. It was a pure salary dump by Boston to get under the second apron.

The Hawks hoped Porziņģis could help diversify an offensive attack centered on Trae Young’s perimeter prowess. Instead, things didn’t work out in Atlanta, and the franchise pivoted hard. The Hawks shipped Young to the Wizards and looked for a trade partner to take Porziņģis. They found the Warriors, who had a problem of their own with a disgruntled Jonathan Kuminga. Golden State sent Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta in exchange for Porziņģis.

The Warriors are only on the hook for the rest of Porziņģis’s $30.7 million salary this season before he hits free agency. Making a move for him was a worthy gamble given the lack of a long-term commitment. The upside is tremendous, but only if he can manage to stay healthy.

Stephen Curry has never played with someone with Porziņģis’s size and ability. The inside-out nature of his game at 7' 2" makes him incredibly dangerous on offense. He’s unique in his ability to move and score at all levels, which could make Golden State scary moving forward. But for that to happen, he and Curry, who has been out with a knee injury since late January, have to be on the court.

Porziņģis thinks he’s finally healthy, but time will tell what kind of impact he can have for the Warriors.

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