The mystery of when Kristaps Porzingis will re-join the Mavs is solved. Or is it?
.jpg "Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis says he would like to play against the Lakers on Christmas, but that’s not consistent with his recovery timetable following a meniscus tear in August.")
With the Dallas Mavericks’ 2020-21 season scheduled to begin in less than three weeks, there are more questions than answers regarding the health and status of forward Kristaps Porzingis. Mavs training camp started on Tuesday, with head coach Rick Carlisle being Rick Carlisle-vague about the timeline for Porzingis’ return from a knee injury.
“His rehab has gone without issue,” Carlisle said. “He’s on schedule. If anything, we’re having to hold him back right now. He’s back to doing light court work, so things are going well. He will not, however, play until at least January.”
Exactly when in January is impossible to say right now because the NBA has only released its schedule for opening night, Dec. 22; the next night, which has the Mavericks starting their 2020-21 campaign in Phoenix against Chris Paul and the re-tooled Suns; and its Christmas Day slate featuring Mavs-Lakers — aka Luka Doncic vs. LeBron James — in the prime-time window.
However, on Thursday, it was Porzingis’ turn to address the media, and his aspirations didn’t line up with his coach’s.
“That will be super fun,” Porzingis said after being asked if he will be ready to play by Dec. 25 when the Mavericks face the defending champions in Los Angeles. “I hope I can be ready and healthy by then. ... Hopefully we can get a win in L.A.”
He emphasize those were his thoughts regarding his status and not those of the Mavericks.
“That’s just me talking. That’s not the medical staff,” he said.
The 25-year-old suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee in August during Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, though he played in Games 2 and 3 before being ruled out. Earlier in his career, Porzingis suffered an ACL tear in his left knee, an injury that knocked him out for the entire 2018-19 season with a recovery process that was like “walking through the desert seeing no end.”
Porzingis not only is optimistic about his return to the hardwood this season, but also about the future of this new Mavericks team despite the heavy competition in the Western Conference.
“I believe we have to be up there in the Western Conference,” he said. “It’s a tough conference, a lot of really, really good teams, a lot of experienced teams, but I believe we have to make that next step this season, the highest expectations we can imagine.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 5:28 PM.