On Monday, Sept. 28, it was revealed that Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out indefinitely due to a health issue. Therefore, the Golden State Warriors' center will not participate in training camp. Porzingis has been dealing with POTS for multiple seasons, spanning back to his final year with the Boston Celtics in 2024-25.
Despite his health battles, Porzingis impressed after landing with the Warriors last season, averaging 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 15 games. He did well enough to earn a two-year, $40 million contract extension from the Warriors' front office. Nevertheless, losing Porzingis before the season has even begun is a bitter blow for the Warriors, who are already without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody long-term.
Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely to open training camp with a health issue, per Warriors. Another immediate blow to their depth.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) September 28, 2026
When speaking to the media on Monday, veteran big man Al Horford shared his thoughts on Porzingis' current situation, noting that in the current situation, patience is the ultimate tool.
"Definitely challenging," Horford said. "It can be difficult to deal with. I know he wants to compete and he wants to be out on the court. It's just for him to be patient at this point, and he's usually been able to overcome things. Patience is kinda the name of the game right now. Because this is kind of, I don't know if we saw this coming entirely. So I just hope he’s able to recover and be in a good place so he can roll with us."
When healthy, Porzingis can be a genuine swing factor for the Warriors. His play style perfectly suits Stephen Curry, and his size gives Golden State a new dimension, both when defending and attacking the rim. The hope will undoubtedly be that by keeping Porzingis out early in the season, he'll be able to continue addressing his health issues before returning to the rotation and helping Kerr's team challenge for a high seed in the Western Conference.
Of course, the ultimate goal will be ensuring Porzingis is healthy when the postseason rolls around. If that means holding him out to begin the season, then while it will be far from ideal, so be it.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebookand Twitter!
This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Horford preaches patience as Warriors' Porzingis is set to miss time
