BOSTON — This latest six-game road trip is basically a brief reunion tour for Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis. With stops in New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Dallas, Porzingis has been making waves in the city of every team he has been with throughout his decade in the NBA. But this latest stop in Boston, the city where he helped the Celtics win their first title in sixteen years, is the place where it may mean the most.
At the Warriors' morning shootaround, Porzingis spoke to the media about his time playing in Boston and all of the good memories he has with the Celtics.
“It feels good to be back,” Porzingis smiled. "It's a little weird. I missed the city. Of course, as you're reading, I missed everything. Honestly, it's good memories. You know, [it] It's weird to be back a little bit, but it's a good feeling.”
Porzingis joined Boston via trade with the Washington Wizards in the summer of 2023, with hopes he could give the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown Celtics a boost up front. And with his size, defense and shooting, Porzingis did exactly that.
he averaged Averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks in 57 games in 2023-24. And while injuries sidelined him in the second and third rounds of the NBA Playoffs, Porzingis made a triumphant return in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, rocking TD Garden when he scored 18 points off the bench in the first half.
But for all of his basketball successes with the Celtics, what Porzingis remembers most about his time in Bean Town is the city itself.
"[I remember] A lot of little moments, even outside of basketball,” Porzingis said. “Being in the city, my little places to go for coffee, just overall my life in Boston, I really enjoyed it. Basketball was very stressful here. I won't lie, but it comes with character. And we did it. So I would say the whole package was special.
Kristaps Porzingis after leaving the Celtics
But while the memories of Boston will remain fond, it has been a bit of a rough ride for Porzingis since leaving. Porzingis played only 42 games in the Celtics' title defense season, as injuries derailed his availability. And when the New York Knicks eliminated Boston in six games, with Tatum tearing his Achilles in the process, it signaled the end of that iteration of the Celtics, as salary cap issues would prove too costly to run it back.
As such, the Celtics sent Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks as a sacrifice to avoid the second apron penalty. And in Atlanta, things will get worse. Porzingis was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a chronic condition that cut his time in Atlanta short. Porzingis would only play 17 games for the Hawks before the Warriors traded him for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
And while Porzingis has recently gotten healthy, scoring a season-high 30 points last night in D.C., the illness sidelined him for six games just after joining the Warriors. It's safe to say that it's been a tough season for Latvians.
“This season has been rough,” Porzingis admitted. "But now I'm healthy. Feeling really good. So I'm getting a real good feeling about basketball again, you know? Which is the most important, because everything else goes second when you're not feeling right.
"It's natural to feel that way, and now, when I'm really getting my feet back, getting in good shape, it's a good reminder of why I love it. Just enjoying playing here."
Kristaps Porzingis' expectations from the Boston crowd
The POTS situation, along with the illness, is why this season has been so disappointing for Porzingis. From constantly feeling low on energy, to constant fatigue, to sudden bouts of illness, it has been a tough time for the big man.
But as far as whether it would put his career in question, Porzingis didn't want to go there.
"I really didn't want to get those thoughts in my mind," Porzingis explained.
"Even in general, for life, I don't want to live at 60% of my energy. I don't want to feel - I don't want to live this way. Eventually, I will find a way. No matter what, I will find a way to get how I feel to where I need to feel. At least I'm close to where I was, you know? And I honestly did. Now I'm healing really well again. Everything is back. So I finally feel. “I am starting to be myself again.”
Either way, it will be a heartwarming return for Porzingis in Boston. She will get the full red carpet. A tribute video, standing ovations, high-fives and hugs from past teammates and coaches, the whole nine yards. But whether it will make him emotional or not, Porzingis can't say.
"I don't know. But not in the middle of the game, like, I'm not going to cry then," Porzingis said, laughing. "But definitely, good memories. Good, good memories. Honestly, thinking about it now, I got a good feeling. Obviously I loved my team here a lot, and let's see how tonight goes."
