Kristaps Porzingis “felt good on the court” Thursday, 13 months to the day he underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL.
It was the big fella’s first 5-on-5 practice with the Dallas Mavericks.
Porzingis, 23, says he is “really excited” to play for head coach Rick Carlisle next season.
Per Mavs.com:
“I’ve visualized a lot and I see myself playing, so this whole time I’m always thinking in my head ‘I don’t want to come back and be rusty,’ “ Porzingis said. “I want to be in the game right away.
“I missed the shots today, but I felt good on the court, I felt comfortable, I felt fluid and I think that’s important. The shots will start falling and the more we play, the more I play. It’s good to finally be able to do something physical, so I’m happy.”
Porzingis and Carlisle have had discussions about what his role will be with the Mavs going forward, and Porzingis is very confident about that critical role.
“I really like his philosophy, the way he sees me out there on the court, and I think we’re on the same page on all of the stuff that we talked about,” Porzingis said. “So I’m really excited to play for coach Carlisle and it’s going to be a great opportunity for me to take my game to the next level.”
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