After suffering a torn left ACL in February and undergoing a surgery, New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis is working on his return to the basketball court. Porzingis spoke with the media for the first time since the injury on Tuesday, saying he will come back “better and stronger” and that he keeps a “positive mindset” during the rehabilitation.
“I believe that I’m going to come back better and stronger,” – said Porzingis. “[I’ve] been having a positive mindset this whole time and just going day by day, doing whatever I need to. Every day is a little progress, a little something, and just moving forward and getting better every day with my knee.“
The 22-year-old didn’t want to specify the timetable for his return, saying he is still in the early rehab process. According to ESPN, Porzingis should remain off the court for at least 10 months since the date of the surgery. Porzingis will use the time off not only to heal his injury but also to strengthen his body more.
“Not only just getting bigger and stronger but just my movement, my body, the way my body moves and all those things,” – he said. “That’s going to be big for me also because of how long I am. So I think I don’t know how many months I have, [but] I’m going to use it as efficiently as I can to come back as a better player and also work on my mind … and come back sharp.“
The injury of Kristaps Porzingis was a major blow for the New York Knicks, who hoped that he could lead the team to playoffs even without Carmelo Anthony, who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Porzingis was very close to making that happening, playing great basketball, and averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and a league-high 2.4 blocks per game. Unfortunately, his injury left the Knicks stranded, and they opted to give their younger players more room to develop and abandoned their playoff hopes.
