The Atlanta Hawks made a flurry of moves this offseason to improve their roster, and one of the first things they did was acquire Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics. With the Celtics trying to shed salary, there was a good chance that Porzingis would've been on the move, and now he's with a team that perfectly fits his game.
The last time people saw Porzingis on the floor was when the Celtics faced the New York Knicks, and he could barely get up and down the court without getting tired easily. He barely played in those games, and afterwards, he would explain that he had something going on internally with his health.
Fast forward to now, and many want to know how Porzingis is feeling now after that rough stretch.
“I feel fantastic, to be honest,” Porzingis said via Basketnews. “I took time to rest after the season. Something was lingering during the playoffs—I had fatigue, dizziness, even moments where I felt like I might faint. It wasn’t great.
“In June, I fully rested and lowered the intensity. All of that has gone away. I haven’t felt any of the playoff symptoms anymore. I feel great and ready to join the national team. Super happy.”
Porzingis is now heading to play for Latvia in the FIBA Eurobasket tournament.
Kristaps Porzingis ready for perfect scenario with Hawks
Porzingis should fit right in with the Hawks, and his ability to stretch the floor will be a big help for a team that loves to shoot 3-pointers.
“Just having this time off and being able to recharge a bit and get ready for a big summer, and then going into next year, it’s, honestly, it’s the perfect scenario, the perfect scenario. And I’m super, super excited about what’s coming,” Porzingis said via Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
When Porzingis is healthy, he may be one of the top shooting bigs in the league, and he can get hot at any moment. He was big for the Celtics two years when they won the championship, and the hope is that he can give the Hawks the same type of production. On the other side, Porzingis hasn't played over 60 games in the past two seasons because of injuries, and the Hawks may not give him a heavy workload this year.
Nonetheless, Porzingis was a big addition for the Hawks, and they should be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season.