Kristaps Porzingis allays concerns about a recurrence of the illness

Atlanta The Hawks were without Kristaps Porzingis in the past four games while dealing with an illness, but was able to make a comeback against the Denver Nuggets. It was uncertain what kind of disease it was, but some thought it might be associated with the same disease he had at the end of last season when he was with the Boston Celtics. It’s labeled as POTS, and Porzingis talked about it before the season started, saying his heart rate would go up and he’d get exhausted just standing up.

After their game against the Nuggets, Porzingis he was asked if he was dealing with a similar disease this time.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the same thing,” Porzingis said. “I just didn’t feel good. I’m not healthy, but I wouldn’t say it’s been the same since last season, so that’s good. I think I put that behind me, even this summer playing for the national team, but just catching anything, it’s frustrating. I want to be healthy, and I’m going to be healthy.”

The Hawks decided to bench him and have a minutes limit in this game, and he didn’t miss a beat. He finished with 25 points and shot 9 of 13 from the field in just 20 minutes. He said he felt “surprisingly good” while on the floor.

“I only played 20 minutes, but I felt good the first game back,” Porzingis said. “Obviously I had some knocks, but I want to be out there. It kills me that I’m not perfectly healthy, but now I feel on the right track. I felt great tonight, you can tell by the way I moved in those 20 minutes. I’m happy about that and I’m looking forward to building on this game.”

Porzingis had only come off the bench one other time in his career before this game, and moving forward, it’s uncertain what the Hawks have planned with him in the rotation. At the end of the day, he seems happy with every move, as long as he helps the team win.

“I always say if you put me in any situation, I’ll figure it out,” Porzingis said. “It’s not what I love, but I think it makes sense. I’m playing limited minutes and I’m going to do what’s best for the team. I say those words and I really mean it. I’m just here to help this team win. If that means coming off the bench, that’s perfect for me, and I’m looking forward to moving on from here.”

Head coach Quin Snyder was noncommittal on whether he would continue to bring Porzingis off the bench.

“With our team, with (Jalen Johnson), (Onyeka Okongwu) and Porzingis, we have guys that can play in the mix,
Snyder said. “I think those things are fluid for us. Injuries have dictated a lot of our lineups and matchups, and we’re just going to continue to evaluate it and do what we think is the best thing for the team. I think one of the good things about this group is that it’s a really unselfish group, and those guys play for each other.”

Coming into the season, it looked like there was a good chance the Hawks would manage Porzingis’ minutes and not play him back-to-back to keep him fresh all year. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how long Porzingis is on the minutes limit and if he continues to come off the bench.