Seven hours before his first game back at TD Garden, Kristaps Porzingis ambled over to the baseline, plopped down in a front-row seat and smiled as he remembered the two seasons he spent playing on the parquet.

“It is a bit weird,” said the former Celtics center, who’s been traded to Atlanta and then to Golden State since he played his final game in green last May. “I miss the city. I miss the everything — the arena, the court. Honestly, the good memories came back a little bit. It’s weird, but it’s a good feeling.”

Good vibes have been hard to come by for Porzingis since the final months of his Boston tenure.

The viral illness he contracted last winter — later diagnosed as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) — contributed to the derailment of the Celtics’ playoff run, then lingered well into this season. Add in the various injuries he’s battled, including an Achilles issue that sidelined him for Atlanta’s visit to Boston in January, and Porzingis has missed more than twice as many games (48) as he’s played (22) across his stints with the Hawks and Warriors.

But things are finally looking up for the 7-foot-2 big man. He’s been able to consistently suit up for the first time in two months, playing in four of Golden State’s last six games entering Wednesday’s matchup in Boston. His latest outing was arguably his best of the season: 30 points, 8-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, three blocks in a win over the tanking Washington Wizards.

A deep playoff run isn’t likely for the beat-up Warriors — their long list of injured players includes Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and ex-Celtic Al Horford, all of whom were unavailable for Wednesday’s game — but Porzingis is thankful to be feeling like himself on the court again. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he’s been “an easy fit” with his new club and is excited to team Porzingis up with Curry once Golden State’s superstar guard is back from his knee injury.

“Obviously, this season has been pretty (expletive),” Porzingis said. “But now I’m healthy. Now I’m healthy and I’m actually feeling good, so I’m getting a good feeling about basketball again, which is the most important. Because everything else kind of goes into second place when you’re not feeling perfect. It’s just natural to feel that way. And now, when I’m actually getting my legs back, getting into good shape, it’s a good reminder why I love this, you know? I’m just enjoying playing again.”

Durability also was an issue for Porzingis during his time with the Celtics, but he was difference-making fan favorite when healthy, delivering some of the most memorable moments of the team’s 2024 NBA Finals victory over Dallas.

“Just overall, my life here in Boston, I really enjoyed it,” said Porzingis, who went out with several of his former teammates after a Celtics-Hawks game earlier this season. “The basketball was pretty stressful here, I’m not going to lie, but it comes with the territory. We wanted to win it all, and we did it. So honestly, the whole package was just special.”

Some other notable nuggets from Porzingis’ shootaround chat with reporters:

Extra Mazzulla ‘craziness’

Porzingis said the low expectations Boston faced entering the season worked in his former team’s favor. He’s also sure head coach Joe Mazzulla ramped up his notorious intensity to get the best out of the Celtics’ collection of young players.

“I think honestly, it was a good situation for them to be in, in a way,” he said. “Like, everybody’s saying, ‘Oh, Celtics are going to be a lottery team,’ this, that, the other. I think one, it puts extra motivation, can give you a chip on your shoulder, and two, you have no expectations at the same time. So that’s like a perfect situation, and they’re using that to the maximum. I think Joe has turned up a few more levels of craziness, probably, with the young guys, and he’s squeezing everything he can out of them. And look at that group. They’re playing super well.”

Tatum’s comeback

Having dealt with several long-term injuries in his NBA career, including one that sidelined him for the first month of last season, Porzingis could relate to how Jayson Tatum felt as he worked his way back from Achilles surgery.

“I think he’s a little bit of a guy that can’t sit still, you know?” Porzingis said. “He’s a guy that wanted to get back out there, and he’s back. And I completely understand him, because that was me last season. When I was coming back from the ankle, it’s so annoying to do the rehab workouts and push yourself that way. It’s way easier to push yourself when you actually get on the court and get the conditioning and get everything — get your legs and maybe lose a couple pounds. All those things are a little bit easier.

“You want to be around the team. You want to be in the locker room preparing for the game. You want to do all these things, so I completely understand him.”

Tatum has averaged 20.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game since making his long-awaited season debut on March 6.

“I haven’t checked, but he probably is playing good already,” Porzingis. “And knowing him also, his work ethic and stuff, for sure he was super locked in with the rehab to make sure he could come back as soon as possible. He didn’t want to miss any good moments with the team, I’m 100 percent sure about that. JT’s an animal, and for sure he worked his ass off to get to this spot as soon as possible.”

Validation for Brown

Porzingis applauded Jaylen Brown for backing up the latter’s long-held belief that he could thrive as a No. 1 option if given the opportunity.

Brown, who helped keep the Celtics near the top of the Eastern Conference standings while Tatum recovered, is having the best season of his career, entering Wednesday with a stat line (28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assist per game) matched by just two players in Celtics history.

“Honestly, he’s always been super vocal,” Porzingis said. “He’s always been leading the group vocally, and this year — he always wanted to take more responsibility. He never shies away from that. So for him to have that this year and for (the team) to do really good, I think he can give himself credit. He can give himself credit, and I think it just shows everybody else what he already knew in his mind. So I’m happy for him. Obviously, I know who he is, what type of person he is, and I know success for him is going to come to him because of who he is and how he thinks and how he sees everything.”