New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis being cautious with injured ankle
New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis is eager to return, but he won’t force the issue. He doesn’t want to come back at less than 100 percent.
New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis has been carrying one of the heaviest workloads in the NBA. Over the course of the 2017-18 NBA regular season, that heavy burden has inevitably weighed on the new franchise player.
Although Porzingis has been playing through the pain for the better part of the 2017-18 season, he’s finally taking a cautious approach to preserving his and the Knicks’ future.
Just 21 games in, Porzingis has endured bursitis in his elbow, a sprained ankle, a bloody nose, and a gash down his arm. He sprained his ankle for a second time on Wednesday, Nov. 29, when Justise Winslow inadvertently stomped his foot into the Madison Square Garden floor at an awkward angle.
Although the MRI results revealed no structural damage, Porzingis would rather not return to game action until his ankle is back at 100 percent.
Kristaps Porzingis says he still has some swelling in his ankle and will continue to treat it. His status for Sunday’s game is unclear but he said that he won’t rush his return. Doesn’t want to come back at less than 100 percent, which makes sense.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 1, 2017
The warrior mentality that some fans expect athletes to have may not agree with this, but Porzingis is taking the only rational approach.
The Knicks are 21 games into the 2017-18 NBA regular season, meaning there are still 61 games to be played. Thus, if the goal is to make the playoffs, then playing him on a bad ankle in an early December game may not be the smartest approach.
New York needs to win in December and January to be relevant in February, March, and April, but it shouldn’t mortgage its future to do so.
By playing Porzingis on a sprained ankle, the Knicks would be risking the possibility of the franchise player aggravating what’s lucky to be a minor injury.
The fortunate reality for New York is that it won’t play again until Sunday, Dec. 3, when it hosts the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. It will travel to play the Indiana Pacers on Monday, Dec. 4, however, which could be too much for Porzingis’ ankle to handle.
Thus, while most are hoping to see Porzingis available for the matinee revenge game against Orlando, his health is the top priority.
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Thankfully, Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks are planning to be patient along the road to recovery.