Kristaps Porzingis made his return to the floor Wednesday night after a 10-game absence due to illness. The Hawks center had missed 14 of his last 15 games overall before Wednesday’s return but showed little rust in his return, posting 16 points off the bench in just 17 minutes, helping the Hawks snap a seven-game losing streak with a blowout win over the Wolves.
“It felt good obviously,” Porzingis told reporters in Atlanta postgame. “Knowing I would have a low minutes restriction, went out there, played and played free and tried to add whatever I could to the team.”
Porzingis has been limited on several occasions due to an unspecified illness dating back to his time with the Celtics last spring. He has been very productive when available for the Hawks this year, averaging 18.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game but has only appeared in 14 contests. Wednesday’s game marked his first appearance since December 5 and just the second time he came off the bench in his career during the regular season.
“Honestly, I kept working out,” Porzingis said of his time away. “I didn’t completely step away from everything but took a step back and kept somewhat in shape, lifting, doing basketball workouts etc. I let my system get to a spot I needed to and then ramped up a little bit. Tonight, I felt good.”
The Hawks will need Porzingis back to propel them in the East standings after they have floundered to a 16-19 record after a brutal month of December. Trade rumors will likely to continue to swirl around Porzingis if the team struggles since his $30.7 million expiring contract could be a valuable trade chip for salary matching purposes. The Hawks reportedly have shown interest in Mavericks big man Anthony Davis.
The Celtics will face Porzingis for the first time as a member of the Hawks later on Jan. 17 in Atlanta.