While the Celtics are having another dominant season, Kristaps Porzingis’ health has turned into a major concern. He missed eight straight games due to a non-Covid illness, and even revealed his struggles in a recent tweet, “I have been dealing with some viral illness that we haven’t been able to fully identify yet. I am recovering and getting better. But still working my way back to full strength to help this team.” So, it was a welcome sight for Celtics fans as KP made a comeback tonight against the Nets, ending his lengthy hiatus.

Although there were some signs of rust, Porzingis had a solid overall game, finishing with 24 points on an efficient nine of sixteen shooting. Following his impressive performance, Joe Mazzulla revealed the Latvian star’s mentality while battling through recent health issues, “I think he’s dealt with it in a great way. When he’s able to play, he always plays. When he’s not, he does the necessary steps whether it’s in the weight room, on the court, in the training room to put himself in position to play… He has a great attitude.” 

The head coach credited Porzingis for his continuous optimism even when things do not go his way. Joe added, “I think he’s just consistent in his work ethic. He’s consistent in his approach that allows him to stick to the process and just go through the edge and flows.” 

Sure enough, KP’s persistence paid off tonight as he helped the Celtics beat the Nets by two points. And Mazzulla was ecstatic to have the big man back in the lineup, “I thought it was great. You know he looked in good form. I thought his defensive activity was good and you know the start of that fourth quarter, I thought he put us in a really great position to win and execute it down the stretch on both ends. So, it’s great to have him back.” Despite his impressive comeback, there are still major concerns about KP’s health, especially after his latest confession.

Kristaps Porzingis details “extreme” frustration during unknown illness, reveals why recovery is taking longer

While Mazzulla admired Porzingis’ mindset, the big man revealed his experience dealing with an unknown illness after tonight’s game, “Yeah, it was extremely, extremely frustrating not knowing what I had.” However, the issue was later identified by medical experts, as KP said, “At the end, it was some sort of—I don’t know exactly, but I think it was some sort of upper respiratory thing that turned into, like, something heavier. Like bronchitis is the word. Uh, something like that along those lines.” 

Although he looked good on the court tonight, the eight-game hiatus where he was sick was not a good feeling, “I haven’t been sick for probably ever in my life. So, I was really for a week just laying at home, trying to recover. And after that, I still had lingering fatigue, and I still have it a little bit. But at least I’m now getting into more or less shape form to be able to play.” Turns out, the Center was crashing out after every workout because of the fatigue, and he is yet to recover completely. “So, it’s taking a little bit longer, but I’m doing everything all my biohacking stuff that I know, and just trying to—trying to get back in the best shape as possible.” 

Now that he is back, hopefully, the illness will not bother Porzingis again and he will be able to finish the season strong. Because the Celtics need him healthy to boost their chances of winning another championship. Even Mazzulla admitted it, “I think he’s a huge part of what we do and we know we need him at his best and he’s just got to continue to do that.”