With the official start of the 2026-2027 NBA season days away, starting October 20, much conversation continues to swirl around the Golden State Warriors’ Kristaps Porziņģis. The NBA champion has been noticeably absent as the team comes together during the preseason. He’s officially listed as “out indefinitely” with an illness that hasn’t been disclosed, and the narrative that even the Warriors don’t know exactly what’s going on, or when he’ll return, is taking shape. In fact, speaking on Porziņģis’ status with the team, fellow Warrior Draymond Green stated:
“No matter how many times people ask ‘When is he coming back,’ I don’t think the answer is changing. I think when Porzingis is back, everyone will know, like we’ll know it. I don’t think it will be like, ‘Oh, he’s back in a week.’ I think if you’re dealing with something from a health standpoint, which again none of us know, it’s not like he’ll be back in a week…I don’t think it’s necessarily a timeline of return.”
Green followed up this sentiment by emphasizing he has no idea when Porziņģis will return, but wishes him well as he “tries to recover from whatever it is that he’s dealing with.”
Draymond on the Porzingis situation:
“There’s been a lot of questions about Porzingis. ‘When is he coming back? Have you spoke to him?’ All of these questions and the answer is, no matter how many times people ask ‘When is he coming back?’ I don’t think the answer is changing. I… pic.twitter.com/VsroL6CmOo— Chef (@CurryForGame) October 10, 2026
Adding to this conversation, Coach Steve Kerr said in a press conference on October 12 that he at least expects Porziņģis to be in the “building” to meet with Warriors personnel on October 13. But from the sound of things, it doesn’t sound like the player will be practicing.
Here’s Steve Kerr providing the update on Kristaps Porzingis:
“He’ll be here tomorrow, and no update beyond that. But he’ll be in the building tomorrow, meeting with Rick (Celebrini) and the performance team.”
Declined to comment if he will be ready for the regular season. pic.twitter.com/PEglfiLBun— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) October 12, 2026
All that being said, and the whats and hows surrounding Porziņģis still in question, here’s a look back at the basketball star’s 2025 medical diagnosis.
Kristaps Porziņģis Diagnosed with POTS in 2025
Erik S Lesser/EPA-EFE/kporzee/Shutterstock
In Porziņģis’ final season with the Boston Celtics during the 2024-2025 season, he was plagued with an illness that left him fatigued and unable to run long stints up and down the court. As The Athletic details, “Porziņģis was eventually diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, commonly referred to as POTS, an autonomic condition that can dramatically increase a patient’s heart rate when standing up.”
Further describing the condition, the Cleveland Clinic notes that it limits your body’s ability to “keep blood flow to your brain and other organs steady and stable.” Additionally, other symptoms of the condition can include dizziness, brain fog, chest pain, shortness of breath, among other things. While POTS is not necessarily curable, “in about 8 out of 10 cases, the condition improves,” even if symptoms come and go.
No Official Word on Porziņģis’ Current Status
As of publication, there is no official word on what injury or illness is sidelining Porziņģis to start out the 2026-2027 preseason. Additionally, in that same Athletic article, Porziņģis believed that once he was diagnosed with POTS in 2025, there wouldn’t be a problem for him moving forward.
So at this time, there’s no reason to think that Porziņģis’ current health troubles are related to his POTS diagnosis. But regardless of what’s ailing the superstar, I, along with many basketball fans, wish him a speedy recovery. His return to the Warriors’ roster, along with Jimmy Butler’s expected return in 2027, could help Golden State to make a real push forward in a very competitive Western Conference.
