Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis says upper respiratory illness was reason for missing 8 games
"I hadn’t been that sick for probably ever in my life."
Kristaps Porzingis returned to action for the Celtics on Saturday, playing a major role in their 115-113 win over the Nets. However, as he missed Boston’s previous eight games, there was some concern over when he would return.
The Celtics star big shared an ominous update about his condition earlier in the week, writing in a social media post that he was dealing with a viral illness that doctors weren’t able to fully identify as of Monday. As he returned to the court five days later, Porzingis disclosed more about his illness following Saturday’s win.
“It was some sort of upper respiratory thing that turned into something heavier,” Porzingis told reporters. “I think Bronchitis is the word. Something like that, along those lines. But I hadn’t been that sick for probably ever in my life. So I was really like for a week, really just laying at home, trying to recover. After that, I still had lingering fatigue. I still have it a little bit.”
Porzingis had hoped to return to the Celtics’ lineup sooner than he did. He previously teased on social media that he was going to play in the Celtics’ game against the Lakers on March 8, but he wound up sitting that day.
Porzingis confirmed on Saturday that he was looking to return for that matchup against the Celtics’ top rival, saying he pushed his body the day before that game. But he explained that on the following day, “the crash I had was like, historic.”
“The next day, I couldn’t even get out of bed to go to shootaround,” Porzingis said. “I was just so fatigued. I was like, I’m not gonna be a help out there.”
As he pushed for a return sooner rather than later, Porzingis said that his illness was “extremely, extremely frustrating.” Luckily for him and the Celtics, his condition took a turn for the better in recent days.
“I’m now getting into more or less shape to be able to play,” Porzingis said. “After each workout, I was, boom, big crash. I was really, really fatigued. Not normal. It’s taken a little bit longer. But I’m doing everything on my biohacking stuff that I know and just trying to get back in my best shape possible.”
Porzingis had a regular pregame workout and was listed as questionable ahead of Friday’s game against the Heat. The Celtics opted to rest him that night, though, and bring him back on Saturday. Prior to the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters that Porzingis would “probably” be on a minutes restriction.
With the way Saturday’s game played out, though, it didn’t appear that Boston limited Porzingis too much. He started and played 32 minutes, which is higher than his season average of 29 minutes per game. The Celtics needed him for those 32 minutes as well as he scored a team-high 24 points, with 14 of them coming in the fourth quarter.
While Porzingis was effective as a scorer, he only came down with two rebounds, which could cause some concern. But he said he felt “all right” after the game.
“So far, no crazy fatigue yet. Hope that’s it,” Porzingis said. “But even if there is some tomorrow, I’ll do all my red-light and all the stuff that I know helps me. Then we have two days now until the next one, so perfect.”
The illness marked just the latest setback for Porzingis as he’s dealt with multiple injuries in his two seasons with the Celtics. He missed the majority of the postseason last year with a calf injury before suffering a rare leg injury during the NBA Finals. After undergoing knee surgery in the offseason, Porzingis missed Boston’s first 17 games of this season.
Porzingis could sense that some fans were upset with him missing even more time on social media. He wanted to let them know that he was frustrated with his recent absence, too.
“People wanted to know what’s going on, why I’m out for so long,” Porzingis said. “Honestly, it was frustrating for me. Illness, out. Illness, out. Like, this guy can’t play through some illness? Even I would think that. I just wanted to let people know that I was really dealing with something and that I would never sit out for some cough. If I’m out with an illness, it has to be a little bit where I can’t really play to help the team.”
With Porzingis back, the Celtics are largely at full health, something that’s been rare for them this season. Their preferred starting lineup of Porzingis, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum has only played 20 games together this season. As they juggle resting players, it appears the Celtics will also be looking to build more cohesion now that they’re at full health.
“I think it’s important to continue to get as many reps as we possibly can with our entire team,” Mazzulla told reporters on Friday.
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