Kristaps Porziņģis wasn’t his usual self during the Boston Celtics’ playoff run last spring.
After dominating on both ends through 42 regular-season games, his energy suddenly disappeared in the postseason by a mystery illness. By the second round, in which the Celtics were eliminated by the New York Knicks, Porziņģis couldn’t even run for long stints. He was a completely different player from the one who had averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and nearly two blocks per game in helping Boston to an NBA title the previous season.
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.
“It hit me and it hit me like a truck,” Porziņģis told The Athletic’s Fred Katz in a story published Wednesday. “The breathing wasn’t good. I did everything I could potentially to feel as good as I could, but my engine wasn’t running the way I wanted.”
While Porziņģis’ performance was greatly impacted by his condition last spring, he doesn’t believe it will be an issue moving forward.
He played with the Latvian national team during Eurobasket this summer without any problems, and he’s expected to start for Atlanta, which acquired him in a trade during the offseason. The Hawks open the 2025-26 season Wednesday night at home against the Toronto Raptors.
Here’s what to know about Porziņģis’ condition, and how it might impact him moving forward.
What is POTS?
POTS is a condition that causes certain symptoms to surface when a person transitions from lying down to standing up, including increased heart rate, dizziness and fatigue.
Typically, the body’s autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate and blood pressure to keep blood flowing at a healthy pace no matter what position you’re in.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, gravity causes “10 percent to 15 percent of your blood to settle in your abdomen, legs and arms. This means that less blood reaches your brain, which can cause brief lightheadedness.” Without POTS, the body compensates, with the leg muscles helping pump blood to the heart, so the symptoms do not occur.
With POTS, though, “your body can’t coordinate the balancing act of blood vessel constriction (squeezing) and heart rate response. This means your body can’t keep your blood pressure steady and stable.” That is when symptoms crop up.
Porziņģis said that in his case, his heart rate could stabilize while he was lying down, but the act of standing up would make it shoot up to 130 beats per minute, and his energy levels were sapped.
“You know how people say, ‘Oh, I’m so fatigued.’ I’ve never used those words. I don’t even like to speak in those terms, but I really was like that,” Porziņģis said. “At that time, I could just lay on the couch and be a house cat.”
Kristaps Porziņģis lacked his usual energy in the playoffs this past spring. “At that time, I could just lay on the couch and be a house cat,” he said. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Is POTS common?
The Cleveland Clinic considers POTS to be common, saying that it affects 1-3 million people in the U.S. The majority of those diagnosed are women between the ages of 15 and 50.
Those who have experienced significant illnesses such as mononucleosis, physical trauma such as a head injury, or those with some autoimmune conditions are more likely to develop POTS.
Is POTS curable?
No, but the Cleveland Clinic said the symptoms can be managed with “treatments and lifestyle changes.”
The two main forms of treatment are exercise and physical activity — obviously not a problem for Porziņģis — and diet and nutrition.
Typical diet recommendations include increasing your intake of salt and water, eating smaller meals more frequently, and including high fiber and complex carbohydrates in your meals.
The FDA has not approved any medications specifically to treat POTS, and Porziņģis said he and his doctors know how to manage POTS without it. He is focused on a high-salt diet and a more regimented non-basketball resting schedule.
