Hawks big man looks thoroughly recovered in strong performance in EuroBasket

Porzingis put up 26 points as his team defeated their Baltic rivals, 72-70 Friday in Riga, Latvia. That's an impressive scoring number for a 40-minute game and especially in such a low-scoring contest, where Porzingis accounted for 36.1 percent of his team's points.

Last season, Porzingis contracted a mysterious illness in late February that cost him a number of games, and helped doom the Boston Celtics' efforts to repeat as NBA champions. The big man sat out 14 regular-season games while recovering from the virus, which severely limited him in the playoffs. In July, Porzingis explained that, "Something was lingering during the playoffs — I had fatigue, dizziness, even moments where I felt like I might faint. It wasn’t great."

The Celtics traded Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks this summer in a cost-cutting move, and it looks like the Hawks are getting a healthy version of the former All-Star. Friday, Porzingis played over 27 minutes and didn't miss a two-point shot, going 8-for-8 on twos and scoring 14 points in the paint while getting to the line for 13 free throws.

That's great news for the Hawks, who are hoping Porzingis will help energize an offense that dropped to 18th in efficiency last season. With Porzingis on board, coach Quin Snyder can play his preferred "five out" system where Trae Young will be surrounded by shooters at every position. A healthy Porzingis should get a lot of easy baskets, as Young is one of the NBA's best lob passers and Porzingis is 7-foot-2.

The knock on Porzingis has always been his injuries and health. He may still be an injury risk, but he appears quite over his illness, much to Estonia's chagrin.