NBA Rumors: Mavericks’ Kristaps Porzingis may miss start of new season

Kristaps Porzingis is a quintessential part of the Dallas Mavericks outfit. Porzingis made it to the NBA after stints for Sevilla in the Spanish Basketball league.

He went to the New York Knicks as the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. But due to the poor management of the Knicks, Porzingis requested a trade and jumped ship to the Dallas Mavericks.

Porzingis joined a franchise with an elite history of European players. Dirk Nowitzki was one of the greatest players in the history of the Mavs, bringing a championship for them in 2011.

At the Dallas-based outfit, Porzingis is combined with another exciting European prospect in Luka Dončić. The coupling of the two has created one of the best one-two punches in the NBA. The pair is right up there in the conversation for best duos.

For Porzingis, the major concern will be his injury record. At full health, the Latvian is one of the best big men in the NBA. But he has endured a series of significant injuries over the past few seasons.

Yet it has not looked like his injuries have slowed him down. This season, he raised his game to an elite level, averaging about 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. For a player that tore his ACL 2 seasons ago, that seems like a remarkable comeback.

When will Kristaps Porzingis return?

Porzingis looked even better in the Playoffs against the Clippers. And one can question whether the Clippers would have survived the series had Porzingis not been unfairly ejected from Game 1. Porzingis suffered an injury during the series as well.

The Dallas Mavericks have not set a definite timeline for his return. In a way, their first-round exit was a blessing in disguise as it offered Porzingis a proper off-season to rehabilitate and recover from his injury. And with no definite date set for the next season to begin, Porzingis’ availability is shrouded with mystery and intrigue.

Sports Illustrated spoke to Dr. Rajpal Brar, an expert on knee-related injuries. He revealed that Porzingis could miss games if the new NBA season was to kick off in January.

“Typically, for high-level elite athletes who undergo a lateral meniscus repair, the average return timeline is about three-to-four months.

“So, assuming the NBA starts in mid-January, that would have KP back for the start of the season or early on in the season.”

The Mavericks will hope to have Porzingis back sooner than January. But given the severity of the injury, they will be in no hurry to bring him back.