BOSTON \u2014\u00a0Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is didn\u2019t try to sugarcoat what the past year has been like for him as he wrapped up shootaround Wednesday morning ahead of his return game against the Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it was good,\u201d Porzi\u0146\u0123is said from a courtside chair inside TD Garden, speaking candidly with reporters, \u201cAnd then, obviously, this season has been pretty s\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time since being traded to the Atlanta Hawks last summer, Porzi\u0146\u0123is played against the team he helped win a championship for in 2024.<\/p>\n
Since then, his career has been turned upside down by injuries \u2014\u00a0most notably a POTS diagnosis he described in detail to The Athletic\u2019s Fred Katz in October.<\/p>\n
Now with the Golden State Warriors, Porzi\u0146\u0123is seems to have found his stride again. On Monday, it was via a team-high 30-point performance off the bench in a win over the Washington Wizards. On Wednesday against the Celtics, Porzingis, who received a standing ovation and a tribute video at the end of the first quarter, went just 4 of 13 from the field \u2014 but he had shown enough positive signs recently that it felt more like an outlier than a sign of struggles to come.<\/p>\n
Over the past few weeks, Porzingis has started to show the organization that he\u2019s the type of player who can work in head coach Steve Kerr\u2019s system.<\/p>\n
Health, however, is always hovering over any conversation about his present and future.<\/p>\n
Porzi\u0146\u0123is missed six games due to illness shortly after being acquired by the Warriors, and while it remains unclear exactly how closely that\u2019s tied to his POTS condition, what is undeniable is how comfortable he is starting to look.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m healthy, and now I\u2019m actually feeling good,\u201d Porzi\u0146\u0123is said. \u201cI\u2019m getting a real good feeling about basketball again, which is the most important. Because everything else kind of goes into second place when you\u2019re not feeling perfect. It\u2019s just natural I think to feel that way, and now when I\u2019m actually getting my legs back, getting into good shape, it\u2019s a good reminder why I love this. Just enjoying playing again.\u201d<\/p>\n
It took a little longer than the Warriors had hoped, but Porzi\u0146\u0123is is beginning to prove why the organization believed he could thrive in Steve Kerr\u2019s system. He\u2019s now played in five of the last seven games and is gradually building toward heavier minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnergy\u2019s getting a lot better,\u201d he said after Monday\u2019s win. \u201cStill working my way back, but I think the way I\u2019m building up and doing more things on the court \u2014 crashing a bit more of this, it means I\u2019ve got a little reserve. So, start to build that up. Still only 25, 26 minutes, but honestly was feeling the best so far. With each game, I would say it\u2019s improving.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reiterated that feeling after Wednesday\u2019s game \u2014 saying he still only feels he\u2019s up to about 60 percent of the player he can be as he continues to build his strength. Porzingis has no doubt that he can be playing at 100 percent again before the season is done.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019m already now where I can contribute decently,\u201d he said after Wednesday\u2019s game. \u201cBut I think like four or five more games \u2014 I know I said that three games ago, but four or five more games, and then I feel like I\u2019ll really be close and pretty good shape. Obviously, in the season it\u2019s not ideal, but my overall feel, I see the trajectory now. So, for me, I\u2019m kinda convinced that I\u2019m headed in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
The progress has been notable. The Warriors can see not only the difference he\u2019s making when he\u2019s on the floor, but also that he doesn\u2019t look as tired off the floor in between games and workouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just gotten his legs underneath him,\u201d Kerr said Monday. \u201cI know he\u2019s told you guys that over the recent stretch of games, that he felt more comfortable, and he was starting to get his rhythm, and you can see it. He just scores so easily \u2026 he\u2019s quite a talent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether he can sustain that feeling over the final month of the regular season remains to be seen, but it\u2019s clear when he\u2019s playing that he can still help the group in a variety of ways. What Porzi\u0146\u0123is also provides is a defensive presence that gives the Warriors a much different look at rim protection. With him on the floor, they came into Wednesday\u2019s game averaging 6.6 blocks per 100 possessions compared to 3.9 blocks per 100 possessions since he made his Warriors debut against the Celtics on Feb. 19, per NBA.com.<\/p>\n
The past couple weeks have served as a reminder of how impactful Porzi\u0146\u0123is can be, not just for this recent stretch but also for his future. Health questions haven\u2019t gone away, but Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u2019 play \u2014 and availability \u2014 has changed the narrative about the trade again.<\/p>\n
He knows there\u2019s still another level for him to hit, but he\u2019s confident that he can get there over time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still got to be a little lighter on my feet for sure,\u201d Porzi\u0146\u0123is said Monday. \u201cBut I\u2019m moving better \u2014 I can feel it. I\u2019m moving a little better. But yeah, I\u2019ve still got a pretty good way to go I would say. But with each game, a little step forward, and I\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a quirky part of the schedule, one which Kerr coined the \u201cKristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u2019 reunion tour,\u201d the Warriors are playing every single one of Porzingis\u2019 old teams on their current six-game trip, including stops in New York, Washington, Boston, Atlanta and Dallas.<\/p>\n
After Wednesday\u2019s game, Kerr spoke with some frustration with the way the third game of the tour unfolded. It wasn\u2019t frustration directed at Porzingis \u2014 more at the idea that the veteran coach felt his group had a mental letdown as it continues to play out the schedule waiting for Stephen Curry (runner\u2019s knee) and several other players to return from injury.<\/p>\n
Man of the people \ud83d\ude4c pic.twitter.com\/XiDiv1APU4<\/a><\/p>\n