Kristaps Porzingis Responds To ‘Injury Prone’ Label
Kristaps Porzingis recently responded to the “injury prone” label that has been attached to him throughout his entire career.
Last week, Porzingis and the Dallas Mavericks found themselves very much in the thick of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs when they pushed the No. 2 ranked Los Angeles Clippers to a 2-2 series tie.
Unfortunately, Dallas would go on to lose the next two outings and ultimately get eliminated from the postseason.
One big contributing factor? Porzingis’ season ending prematurely with a lateral meniscus tear.
This of course comes on the heels of him missing a full season with a torn ACL.
Prior to that, he played in just 48 games in 2017-18 before suffering the ACL tear would keep him out the following year.
In his first two seasons, Porzingis played in 72 and 66 games, respectively.
As a result of his seemingly non-stop injuries, the 25-year-old has developed a reputation for being injury prone. He addressed that label during a recent interview.
“I can’t really be too worried about that,” he said.
“Both of [my most recent injuries] were contact injuries. What I can do is just focus on the work that I can put it to make sure that I decrease the possibility of that happening. That means strengthening everything and trying to do all the preventative work I can. That’s in my hands. I can’t be too frustrated over these type of things.”
Pop doesn’t feel like an idiot often, but this was one of those times. https://t.co/w8W0EylxV8
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 2, 2020
This past season, Porzingis participated in 57 outings. Although he was kept out of his team’s last 10 games before the league’s COVID-inspired suspension of play, the extended break allowed him to rest up and get somewhat healthy. He returned to play in six of Dallas’ eight seeding games.
The Mavericks proved this year that they are one of the NBA’s most intriguing teams to keep an eye on. A big part of their continued development will be Porzingis’ health.
Will the big man be able to stay on the floor? Time will tell.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
