The Atlanta Hawks were one of the busiest teams in the NBA during the offseason, with their Kristaps Porziņġis trade as the headliner. As much hype as there's been about who Porziņġis can be in Atlanta, there is also one major concern: Can he stay healthy?
On "The Kevin O'Connor Show," O'Connor said that if you're "poking holes" into the Hawks, the first thing he mentioned was KP's health. He questioned whether Porziņģis can be Porziņģis, and if so, whether he can maintain that level of play, given the numerous injuries he has dealt with throughout his career.
The center spent the past two seasons with the Celtics, playing 57 games during the 2023-24 season and 42 games last season. Porziņģis dealt with what was initially labeled a mystery illness last season, missing most of Boston's second-round playoff series loss to New York. Porziņģis was dealing with post-viral syndrome, which, by definition, is "a chronic health issue that occurs after a person has recovered from a viral infection."
Porziņģis played this summer at Eurobasket for the Latvian national team, and he said that he's feeling back to himself now. He's started at center during the preseason. After a summer full of questions about his health, it's been nice to see KP suit up for the Hawks, even if it's only the preseason, but the truth is that the concerns about his health won't go away.
Kristaps Porziņģis' health is one of the Hawks' biggest question marks
The 30-year-old is eligible to sign an extension with Atlanta (subscription required), as he's entering the final season of his current contract. If a deal doesn't happen, he'll enter unrestricted free agency next summer. He told The Athletic that he wants to "show that I'm playing at a high level again, that I'm healthy, that I'm everything, and then that kind of stuff will take care of itself, you know?"
It seems the Hawks also want to see if KP can do those things, too. It'd be risky to pay him, only for him to get hurt and miss a chunk of the season. Porziņģis has only hit the 65-game mark three times since the Knicks drafted him in 2015. He played 72 games as a rookie, 66 games the following season, and 65 games with the Wizards during the 2022-23 season.
Even if KP hit the 65-game mark this season (and that's a stretch), he wouldn't be able to escape the injury-prone label that's followed him the majority of his career. Paying him next summer, when he'll turn 31, could backfire.
What matters right now is that so far, things are going well for Porziņģis. Hopefully, it'll stay that way, and he won't have to miss a chunk of the season for whatever reason.