In the first 30 seconds of his preseason outlook earlier this week, coach Rick Carlisle made it clear that Kristaps Porzingis would not be playing in any games until at least January.
It should surprise nobody that Porzingis respectfully disagrees.
The Mavericks’ 7-3 center had surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee 12 weeks ago. He has resumed work on the basketball court, although he’s taking things slow because the team’s medical staff demands it.
That doesn’t stop Porzingis from fighting the good fight in terms of when he will be playing. Like most players, he hates missing things like a nationally televised Christmas Day game against the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
“I’m not (ruling it out),” Porzingis said Thursday as he took part in the Mavericks’ “media week” interview sessions. “I feel good. I’ve made big steps forward in my progress. I just want to be out there as soon as possible. I want to be out there for Christmas and play those games.
“We’ll see. That’s me talking. That’s not the medical staff talking. So we’ll see what the timeline is for me.”
No matter when he returns, Porzingis will do so knowing that he is 100-percent ready to do so. He detailed that in a mavs.com interview on Nov. 18 that can be found here:
On Thursday, he spent considerable time talking about the Mavericks’ ascent in the Western Conference and how they now have to set their sights higher than in the past.
Last season, the goal was simply to make the playoffs. This year, that won’t be enough.
“I think everybody is excited and everybody knows we’re capable of taking the next step,” Porzingis said. “And that’s what excites everybody.
“I believe we have to be up there in the Western Conference. Obviously, it’s a tough conference – a lot of really, really good teams. A lot of experienced teams. But I believe we have to make that next step this season – the highest expectations we can imagine. That has to be our end goal. I don’t know when we’ll get there, but we’re working toward that. And I believe this is going to be a great year for us.”
Porzingis also knows the biggest key in continuing the upward trajectory.
“Getting better defensively is going to help us take the next step,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do now, getting ready, getting a feel for each other. We look forward to putting all the pieces together.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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