Kristaps Porzingis return date uncertain due to “mysterious” illness

SAN FRANCISCO – It is it’s hard to say when Kristaps Porzingis will return to the floor for Golden State Warriors.

After making his debut against the Boston Celtics, the Dubs have missed the last five games with an ailment that the team has not publicly classified or defined, with scant details on exactly what Porzingis is going through.

On the eve of the Warriors’ game with the Los Angeles Clippers, coach Steve Kerr described nature Porzingis’ ailments in indescribable terms.

“It’s a little mysterious,” Kerr told reporters. “Obviously we’re working with him and hopefully he can get some clarity, and he can kind of break through and get to a point where he’s consistently healthy. But that’s something that the medical staff is working hard on with him, and, yeah, I’m not even going to put forth any more theories, any medical theories.”

The last part of Kerr’s answer comes from the confusion he caused regarding Porzingis’ illness when he said in a radio interview that his previous diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) was “misinformation” and that another type of illness forced him to miss games for Atlanta last year.

Kerr later retracted those comments, telling reporters that what he said was a “stupid mistake” and that he regretted trying to talk about something he was not professionally qualified to talk about. Now, Kerr’s return does not mean that Porzingis’ current illness is due to POTS. However, it paints a hazy picture regarding his condition, the nature of his illness and when he will return.

What we know about Porzingis’ status

Little is known about Porzingis’ condition, as Kerr declined to share details regarding his status. But what we do know is that Porzingis was able to practice on Friday of last week, when the Dubs returned from their quick two-game, back-to-back road trip. It was his first practice since getting sick, which looked like an encouraging development heading into their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

But things apparently took a turn for the worse as he was cut from the Lakers the next day. And then ahead of today’s Clippers game, Porzingis was not at the Warriors’ shootaround this morning.

As for his emotional state, Kerr said the two spoke today.

“I talked to him today. We had a good talk and he’s doing well,” Kerr said. “I mean, he obviously wants to come back and he wants answers. And we’re going to continue to support him.”

Regardless, it’s an uncertain situation for the Warriors as they counted on him to give them a boost at the deadline. They finally put a stamp on the Jonathan Cumminga era and hoped to turn over a new leaf with the size, skill and defense that Porzingis is capable of when fully healthy.

But he was not healthy. And while the Warriors made that trade knowing full well the risk, which Kerr and Mike Dunleavy said publiclyit is clear that the gamble has not paid off at all so far.

For now, the Dubs will continue to monitor Porzingis’ health, and his return date is clouded by uncertainty.