The Dallas Mavericks could be at an early deficit to start the 2020-21 season.
Mavs president Donnie Nelson said Kristaps Porzingis is likely to miss time at the beginning of the year as he continues to recover from meniscus surgery:
“He’s going to be into the season,” Nelson said, via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “We’re very, very particular about bringing him back at the right time. It’s not going to be a rush. We’ve got longterm vision when it comes to his rehab.”
It might not come as a surprise the Mavs plan to ease Porzingis back into things, given his history of knee injuries.
The former No. 4 overall pick suffered a torn ACL in February 2018 and missed the entirety of the 2018-19 season. Porzingis then struggled with a variety of physical maladies this past year, though he managed to play 57 games during the regular season.
Porzingis was actually a major impact player for Dallas in the team's first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. He was ejected after playing under 20 minutes in Game 1, but responded by scoring 23 points in Game 2. The Latvian star then poured in 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Game 3, but was subsequently sidelined with the knee.
Dallas never recovered. Luka Doncic carried the Mavs to a sensational win in Game 4, but they lost each of the next two games to bottom out of the playoffs.
Nelson and Co. are hoping to acquire a third star to pair with Doncic and Porzingis next season. That search might have even more urgency with KP slated to miss time at the beginning of the year.
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