Celtics' Porzingis Diagnosed with Post-Viral Syndrome, EuroBasket Return Expected

Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens revealed that Kristaps Porzingis was battling a "post-viral syndrome" that severely affected his performance during the playoffs and forced him to miss games in March. Despite showing flashes of strong play late in the regular season, Porzingis struggled in the playoffs due to lingering effects of the illness, averaging just 4.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in limited minutes against the New York Knicks. Stevens noted that the intensity and travel of playoff basketball hindered Porzingis' recovery, but he is optimistic that rest during the offseason will allow him to fully recover. Porzingis is expected to be healthy in time to represent Latvia at the EuroBasket tournament in late August. The Celtics face an uncertain offseason as they contend with Porzingis’ health and significant injuries to other stars like Jayson Tatum, which may impact the team’s future roster and salary cap decisions. Overall, the team remains hopeful Porzingis will return to full strength after adequate rest and recovery.