Hawks Share Kristaps Porzingis' Injury Status Before Magic Game

As the Hawks prepared for Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic, the team unexpectedly added Porzingis to the injury report just hours before tipoff. He was ruled out immediately, and the team wrote, “An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tonight’s game at Orlando: Zaccharie Risacher (right ankle sprain): Questionable Kristaps Porzingis (flu-like symptoms): Out.”

The severity of his illness is unknown and will be monitored moving forward as more updates surface.

This is an unfortunate development for Porzingis, as sickness continues to limit his availability on the court. During his final season in Boston, Porzingis missed substantial time with injury and played only 42 games. Illness also limited his effectiveness in the NBA playoffs, as he scored just 25 total points in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Athletic’s Fred Katz described the condition that had been affecting Porzingis last year, “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.”

Although the two illnesses may not be related, Porzingis has continued to be dealt numerous setbacks to his health. He remains a central part of Atlanta’s plan to compete this season, and his offense last year for the Celtics through the 42 games was still impressive, as he averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from deep. Porzingis’ next chance to suit up will be on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.