Copyright Boston.com
“At that time, I could just lay on the couch and be a house cat.” Kristaps Porzingis’ arrival prior to the 2023-24 season played a key role in the Celtics’ run to a sought-after 18th championship. But the 7-foot-2 big man’s two-year run in Boston ended on a sour note, as the center was hindered during final stretches of the 2024-25 season due to a lingering illness. After missing eight straight games in March due the ailment, the symptoms resurfaced during the playoffs — sapping Porzingis of his strength and stamina as Boston tried to stay afloat against the New York Knicks. Over 11 total playoff games this past spring, Porzingis averaged 20.9 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting just 31.6 percent from the field — to go along with a 15.4 rate from 3-point range. The illness confounded both Porzingis and the Celtics throughout the postseason en route to a second-round exit at the hands of New York. “I still don’t have an exact answer,” Porzingis said at the Hawks’ Media Day earlier this month. “They had some sort of explanation for it, but it was lingering. That was the toughest part. It was kind of like, I still felt it. Some days I was okay, energy was good. Some days, boom, I had a crash. And I’m glad it’s done now. I’m glad it’s gone now. “Maybe it was just my system. Maybe I just needed a reset during the summer. Took some time off, and I haven’t felt it since. Even with the national team, I felt fantastic in all the preparation. It did take me a little bit longer to get in good shape with the national team. So I was really happy I had this summer.” But in a new story posted by The Athletic’s Fred Katz on Wednesday, Porzingis shed new light on what exactly sidelined him over his final months with the Celtics. In Katz’s profile, it was revealed that doctors diagnosed Porzingis with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. It is a condition that can raise a person’s heart rate while standing — which can subsequently lead to exhaustion or dizziness. “You know how people say, ‘Oh, I’m so fatigued.’ I’ve never used those words. I don’t even like to speak in those terms, but I really was like that,” Porziņģis told Katz. “At that time, I could just lay on the couch and be a house cat.” It looks as though POTS hasn’t impacted Porzingis over the last few months, as the Latvian big man participated in EuroBasket this summer and wasn’t restricted during Atlanta’s preseason slate. The Celtics had to trade away Porzingis this offseason as one of several cap-cutting moves in order to get below the NBA’s restrictive second apron. “KP — he fought some of the stuff, health-wise, in the last two years, but when he played, he was awfully good, and we think he’ll be awfully good for Atlanta this year,” Brad Stevens said of Porzingis in July. “So again, those are not easy trades to make. Those are not easy phone calls. Obviously, those guys [Porzingis and Jrue Holiday] have been around the league a long time. “They knew the CBA, they knew that there was a high likelihood that they could be part of a move, and they were communicated that before. But it’s still hard when you are [traded]. We will miss them, and we’re thankful for them.”
