Kristaps Porziņģis was not able to be an impact player for the Celtics in their playoff run last season, as he battled a mysterious ailment that sapped his energy and left him unable to play for long stretches.
Celtics general manager Brad Stevens called it a “post-viral syndrome” when talking about Porziņģis after the season, but the specifics around what the Latvian star was dealing with remained a mystery even after he was traded to the Hawks. With Porziņģis set to make his regular season debut in Atlanta on Wednesday night, Fred Katz of The Athletic published a story on Porziņģis that revealed the diagnosis he received and why it caused him so many problems trying to play through it.
Doctors later diagnosed him with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, he said, more commonly referred to as POTS, an autonomic condition that can dramatically increase a patient’s heart rate when standing up instead of spread horizontal. Handled wrong — or not yet diagnosed — and POTS can lead to extreme exhaustion or dizziness.In his worst moments,
Porziņģis’ heart rate could stabilize while he was lying down, but the act of standing up could rev it to 130 beats per minute.
Now that he has a diagnosis, doctors have been able to craft a plan to help him manage his condition without medication. Porziņģis told Katz he’s on a “high salt diet” and has a regimented rest schedule when he’s not playing basketball that allows him to maintain his energy on the court.
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If that plan is successful, the Hawks could benefit tremendously from acquiring Porziņģis this offseason. He will give them a different offensive dynamic than they’ve had in the frontcourt alongside Trae Young, as Porziņģis can stretch the floor from the center spot as well as almost anyone in the league. At 7-foot-3, he remains a strong rim protector and his addition is one of the reasons Atlanta is projected to vault into the top six in the East this season — and potentially nab a top-four spot if all goes well.