New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis previews plan for recovery
New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis is facing a long road to recovery. He plans to utilize this time to change his game and body for the better.
New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis has said all of the right things during his brief NBA career. No matter how he or his team have performed, Porzingis has remained poised, composed, and thoughtful when the media asks for his thought on an issue.
Now faced with the biggest hurdle of his career thus far, Porzingis continues to display an understanding of what it takes to be successful in the NBA.
In the midst of a career-year, Porzingis suffered a season-ending knee injury that required surgery. The 7’3″ phenom suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, which immediately led some to the belief that a player with his sheer mass would struggle to recover.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Porzingis understands that his recovery process will be different because of his size, but he has a plan to overcome that hurdle.
"“Not only just getting bigger and stronger but just my movement, my body, the way my body moves and all those things. That’s going to be big for me also because of how long I am,” the 7-foot-3 Porzingis said. “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.”"
Size and strength are certainly factors, but coordination and body control will be as important to remaining healthy as any other factor.
Even before the injury, the key to Porzingis remaining healthy in the NBA was the establishment of a stronger lower body. He has long limbs and a massive upper body, and plays a style that’s taxing on his joints and extremities.
If Porzingis takes this time to strengthen his core and legs, he should be able to carry his weight better and, perhaps most importantly, gain deeper position in the post.
As for the other part of Porzingis’ statement, addressing the way he moves and lands means ensuring that he doesn’t put unnecessary pressure on any one area of his body.
A player Porzingis’ size is always going to be a bigger injury risk than a player who’s smaller than him. There’s more weight to place down on every step and longer limbs to land with—an unfortunate truth, but the truth nonetheless.
Thankfully, Porzingis is taking a Conor McGregoresque approach and learning the different ways that a body can and can’t move.
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If Kristaps Porzingis remains patient and committed to the cause, then the New York Knicks standout should return to All-Star form.