New York Knicks Roster, Injury News 2018: Kristaps Porziņģis Tears ACL in Left Knee, Out for the Season
At 23-32, the New York Knicks are still in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, and they are only five games behind the eighth-place Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, any dreams of a postseason run came crashing down on Tuesday night when Kristaps Porziņģis sustained an injury to his left knee.
The All-Star forward got hurt when he landed awkwardly following a dunk in the second quarter of their game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and he had to be helped off the court because he could not put much weight on his leg.
Porziņģis was immediately taken for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam, and the results confirmed the Knicks' worst fears. The Latvian forward has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, and he would have to undergo a season-ending surgery.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The Knicks will not set a timetable for his return until after the surgery, but the recovery time for a torn ACL is typically between nine to 12 months. That means Porziņģis will miss a chunk of the 2018-19 season as well.
"I'd hate to put a timetable on that because every player, every person's a little different in how they come back and respond. Again, I know he will attack it in an aggressive manner, but we want to make sure that he is fully healthy before we put him back on the court," Knicks general manager Scott Perry said on Wednesday, via the New York Post.
"His welfare is going to be the utmost importance. Until he's deemed 100 percent not only by us, but how he feels mentally. We wouldn't want to put him out there in any risk," he added.
Porziņģis will finish the season with averages of 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this season.
