New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis already back on the court

New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis tore the ACL in his left knee on Feb. 6, but he’s already back on the practice court in early March.

New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis has encountered his fair share of adversity early in his NBA career. Nothing has presented more of a challenge than the torn ACL that Porzingis is in the process of recovering from.

Just over a month removed from the injury, Porzingis is already back on the court and putting up shots.

It’s currently unconfirmed, but Porzingis may be bionic.

Porzingis has earned the reputation of one of the most promising young players in the NBA. The 22-year-old has also proven to be a physical anomaly in more ways than his height and length, as he’s managed to bounce back from injuries in astonishingly small windows.

According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, head coach Jeff Hornacek doesn’t oppose Porzingis shooting if it’s from a stationary stance.

"“I don’t know what he’s allowed to do from the doctors,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “Once you have a surgery like that, you want to get out there, you want to shoot. I’m sure he’s being smart about that stuff. If you’re just standing there shooting, that’s not going to have any effect.“As far as I know, there’s no basketball things he’s involved with.”"

One would like to think that, once the recovery process reaches a more physically challenging point, the Knicks will be kept in the loop.

It’s fair to assume that Porzingis isn’t going against his doctor’s orders by getting back on the court so quickly. Thus, one can’t help but be encouraged by the fact that he’s progressing in the manner he is.

Rushing back from the injury and returning before he’s ready would be a disastrous decision, but working at the pace set by his doctors shouldn’t be an issue.

Thus, the mere image of Porzingis on a basketball court is one that inevitably and justifiably sparks interest and intrigue.

Porzingis was in the midst of a breakout campaign when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He was averaging a career-high 22.7 points and 1.9 three-point field goals made per game, as well as a league-leading 2.4 blocks per game.

Only time will tell when Porzingis will be ready to return, but the hope is that he’ll come back in All-Star form.

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Thankfully for the New York Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis isn’t allowing an injury to take away from his unrivaled passion for the game.