SAN FRANCISCO– It's hard to say when Kristaps Porzingis will return to the floor for the Golden State Warriors.
After debuting against the Boston Celtics, the Dubs' trade deadline acquisition has missed the last five games due to an illness that the team has not publicly classified or defined, with details sparse regarding what Porzingis is going through specifically.
Ahead of the Warriors' game with the Los Angeles Clippers, coach Steve Kerr described the nature of Porzingis's illness in non-descript terms.
“It's a little mysterious,” Kerr told reporters. “We're obviously working with him and hoping that 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 gonna even posit any theory, any medical theories anymore.”
The last part of Kerr's answer stems from confusion he caused regarding Porzingis's illness when he said in a radio interview that his previous postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) diagnosis was “misinformation,” and that a different kind of illness forced him to miss games for Atlanta this past 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 isn't professionally capable of talking about. Now, Kerr's walkback doesn't mean Porzingis's current illness is due to POTS. However, it does create a foggy picture regarding his condition, the nature of his illness, and when he'll return.
What we do know about Porzingis's status
We know little about Porzingis' condition, as Kerr declined to share specifics regarding his status. But what we do know is that Porzingis was able to practice Friday of last week, when the Dubs returned from their quick two-game, back-to-back road trip. It was his first practice since falling ill, which seemed like an encouraging development heading into their Saturday game with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But things obviously took a turn for the worse as he was ruled out for the Lakers game the following day. And then ahead of the Clippers game today, Porzingis was not at the Warriors' shootaround this morning.
As for how he's doing emotionally, Kerr said that the two of them talked today.
“Talked to him today. We had a good chat, and he's doing fine,” Kerr shared. “I mean, he's obviously wanting to be back and wanting answers. And we'll keep supporting him.”
Regardless, it is a precarious situation for the Warriors as they were counting on him to give them a post-trade deadline boost. They'd finally put a stamp on the Jonathan Kuminga era and had hoped to turn a new leaf with the size, skill, and defense Porzingis is capable of when fully healthy.
But he hasn't been healthy. And while the Warriors made that trade knowing full well of the risk, which Kerr and Mike Dunleavy said publicly, it's clear that the gamble has not paid off at all so far.
For now, the Dubs will continue to monitor Porzingis's health, with his return date clouded in uncertainty.
