SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Kristaps Porziņģis continued to be sidelined for his fourth consecutive game due to illness, missing the matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. This setback came just a day after he returned to practice, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr had expressed optimism about Porziņģis’ potential return to the court.
Prior to Saturday’s game, Kerr acknowledged a misstep in a radio interview where he had briefly discussed Porziņģis’ postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) diagnosis, which the player had shared with media outlets earlier in the season. Kerr admitted, “It was a stupid mistake by me to talk about something that I’m not qualified to talk about. I regretted even trying to discuss the diagnosis. That was my mistake. And I need to leave that to the professionals.”
Porziņģis made his Warriors debut on February 19, but his participation has been limited since then due to his illness. When questioned about the specifics of Porziņģis’ condition, Kerr refrained from going into detail, emphasizing that the situation is a medical concern beyond his expertise. “He’s sick. He won’t play, and we’ll keep monitoring him,” he stated, while also indicating uncertainty regarding Porziņģis’ availability for the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kerr has consistently maintained that the organization would not have pursued Porziņģis in a trade if they did not believe he could maintain his health. During his radio interview, he noted that the Warriors were not particularly worried about the POTS diagnosis and assured fans that the illness causing Porziņģis to miss games is unrelated to any past health issues. He clarified, “When I heard about the trade, I read about the POTS diagnosis, and then I called Onsi Saleh, who was with us, he’s now Atlanta’s GM. I said, ‘Is this POTS story real?’ He said, ‘It’s actually not POTS. It was not POTS.’ So that was some misinformation that was out there.”
In October, Porziņģis had discussed the challenges he faced due to POTS, explaining, “It hit me, and it hit me like a truck.” Since joining the Warriors, he has expressed trust in the team’s training staff and confidence in his ability to remain healthy, although his timeline for return remains uncertain at this point.
Additionally, Kerr provided updates on another key player, Stephen Curry, who has been dealing with runner’s knee. Although he has not played since January 30 against the Detroit Pistons, Kerr confirmed that Curry is feeling better and engaged in rehabilitation activities, hinting at a more thorough update on his condition expected on Sunday.
Fans of the Warriors remain hopeful that both Porziņģis and Curry will return to full strength soon, as the team looks to continue competing effectively in the ongoing season.