Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis will not play on Monday against the Chicago Bulls as he continues to nurse a knee problem, but he is optimistic he will return at some point this week, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Porzingis has missed each of Dallas' last three games, with the Mavs losing two of those matchups.

The Mavs and Porzingis have every right to be cautious with respect to any knee issues. Porzingis missed the entire 2018-19 season after tearing his left ACL in February of 2018, and a multitude of injuries throughout his young career will naturally breed more awareness and tentativeness.

Things have not come easily for Porzingis in his debut season with the Mavs. He is averaging close to a double-double with 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds, but he is also shooting just 40 percent from the field.

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However, the bounce has seemingly returned and he is still a tremendous weak-side help defender, averaging 2.1 blocks per game. Most importantly, he has stayed healthy.

It is also worth noting that Porzingis carried the Mavs during Luka Doncic's absence last month. In the five games without Luka (including the game versus the Miami Heat when he was injured early), KP averaged 18.1 points and had four straight 20-plus point games.

Aside from this latest run of inactives, Porzingis played in all but one of Dallas' first 32 games. The Mavs have not even attempted to limit his playing time, either. Porzingis is averaging just over 31 minutes per game, very much on par with his numbers as a member of the New York Knicks.

Not to mention, Kristaps Porzingis is still developing a rapport with second-year point-forward Luka Doncic, who has gone nuclear this season. The Mavs will certainly take the early returns from “The Unicorn,” especially because — if healthy — he can only improve as the season progresses.