Kristaps Porzingis showed the Golden State Warriors some encouraging signs ahead of Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets. The big man was on the court and took part in a 30-minute pregame shootout with the team. While that’s a definite sign of him getting closer to a return, Dubs head coach Steve Kerr cleared the air on whether there’s a timeline for the rehab, with tapering expectations across the past week.

“No timeline,” Kerr said of Porzingis’ potential return. “But he’s on the trip, and he’s going to get a workout today, and we’ll just take it day-by-day from there.”

The Rockets game was the sixth consecutive contest that the big man missed due to illness. The newly acquired Warriors veteran has played in only one game against the Boston Celtics to date. He spoke to The Athletic, saying he was feeling better but declined to comment further on his recovery.

“It’s great that he’s here and great that he’s feeling well enough to be on the trip, and hopefully, that bodes well for him playing soon,” Kerr added.

Kerr also gave an update on Moses Moody’s injury. During the Warriors’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the coach said that Moody had “jammed his right wrist and hurt his shoulder.” However, on Thursday, he expressed uncertainty about Moody’s return.

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“Hopefully not,” Kerr said of Moody’s being out long term. “But obviously out tonight and day-by-day from here.”

This Warriors season has been plagued by injuries. They first lost Stephen Curry to a knee injury. He has been out since the first week of February. They are also missing Gary Payton II (ankle) on Thursday, aside from Jimmy Butler (ACL), Seth Curry (sciatica), and LJ Cryer (hamstring). However, Porzingis’ illness has garnered the most attention. There is little clarity about the specifics of his illness, and it appears even Kerr has not been entirely sure about it.

Steve Kerr admits the Warriors were not fully aligned about Kristaps Porzingis’ illness

Steve Kerr had to walk back on his comments about Kristaps Porzingis’ injury, which he made on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco. He had claimed that the Warriors star didn’t have POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), a diagnosis that the NBA player had himself admitted to last year. Kerr later said it was a “stupid mistake” on his part to comment without being sure. He also claimed that the medical team finds the veteran’s setback “a little mysterious.”

“We’re obviously working with him, and he can get some clarity, and he can kind of break through, and he can get to a point where he’s consistently healthy, but that’s something that the medical staff is working hard on with him,” Kerr clarified. “I’m not going to posit any medical theories anymore.”

The Warriors had to know this was coming. Porzingis last crossed the 60-game threshold in the 2022-23 season. The POTS setback occurred when he was with the Boston Celtics, which allowed him to play only 42 games that year.

Despite knowing about the condition, the Dubs acquired him in exchange for Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga. For that to happen, the medical staff would’ve been confident that they could help the big man stay on the floor. Porzingis is on an expiring deal, so there was probably no long-term plan for him anyway, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for the veteran to even have a late-season impact as we run through March.