What Kristaps Porzingis said about his return to TD Garden

Kristaps Porzingis has had an eventful eight months since the Celtics traded him back in July.

He was traded again, this time to the Warriors after a brief stint with the Hawks. The move to Golden State reunited him with Al Horford, who left the Celtics during free agency. Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently refuted a report about Porzingis’s medical status and wound up apologizing for his comments.

On Wednesday, Porzingis returned to TD Garden for the first time as a visiting player since leaving the Celtics. It felt both good and weird to be back in an opposing team’s colors, he said. He said he misses exploring the city, playing at TD Garden, and dropping into some of his favorite local spots.

“There were a lot of small moments, even outside of basketball. Just being in the city, having my little spots to go for coffee, just overall, my life here in Boston I really enjoyed it,” he said.

He said San Francisco reminds him of Boston because of how compact and walkable the city is. The warm weather is also a plus, he said, along with playing for the Warriors.

“Basketball was pretty stressful here, I’m not going to lie,” Porzingis said of Boston. “But, it comes with the territory. We wanted to win it all and we did it. I would say the whole package was just special.”

Golden State is two games under .500 and fighting for a playoff spot. They’ve been without Stephen Curry for weeks as the 36-year-old star manages a nagging knee injury.

It’s a new challenge in a new city for the 7-foot-2 inch center. He has been effective on the court when he’s healthy, averaging 17.2 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 34.5 percent from 3-point range. But, he has missed all but 22 games.

“He’s an easy fit for sure with any team at that size with that kind of shooting touch,” Kerr said. “It doesn’t take a whole lot of strategy to get him to work with other players. He can set a screen and pop and that puts a lot of stress on a defense, just that alone.

“Obviously you’d rather have someone from training camp and really be able to experiment. I think in the four or five games he’s played we’ve been able to notice the nuances, different actions we might run, that sort of thing.”

Porzingis said he is healthy now. He has played in three of the Warriors’ last four games.

“I’m getting a real good feeling about basketball again, which is the most important thing,” Porzingis said. “Everything goes into second place when you’re not feeling perfect. It’s just natural to feel that way and now that I’m getting my legs back, getting into shape, it’s a good reminder why I love this.”

Porzingis, who turns 31 in August, was asked whether he has given any thought to ending his career given his injury history. He missed 40 of the Celtics’ 82 regular-season games last season and he didn’t look like his usual self during the playoffs while battling his illness. The NBA’s requirement for postseason awards eligibility is 65 games played, a mark that Porzingis has hit just three times in his ten-year career.

“I didn’t want to put those kind of ideas in my head,” Porzingis said. “Just in general, for life, I don’t want to be like 60 percent of my energy. I don’t want to live this way. I’ll find a way.”

“No matter what I’ll figure out a way to feel how I need to feel, at least close to where I was, and I did. I’m recovering really well again and everything is back. I’m finally starting to feel like myself again and I’m happy.”

Porzingis said he isn’t planning on crying during when the Celtics celebrate him on the jumbotron. But, things can get emotional when players return to the place where they won their first championship.

“Some good memories,” Porzingis said. “Good, good memories. Just thinking about it now I get a good feeling.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.