The New York Knicks, and their fan base, are hopeful that franchise star Kristaps Porzingis will be able to return to the court sometime in late December, but there's a chance he misses even more time than that.
In fact, Knicks owner James Dolan has said he's been told there's a possibility Porzingis misses the entire 2018-19 season. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, Dolan had this to say regarding Porzingis' timetable.
"I've been told everything from December to him being out for the season, so I don't know what to expect on that. But we can't just sit on our ass while he's away. We need to develop a team and then integrate him into it when he comes back."
In 48 games last season, the 22-year old All-Star averaged a career-high 22.7 points in addition to 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. He underwent ACL surgery in early February, a procedure which typically warrants a 10-12 month recovery period.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Porzingis flew back to Latvia following his exit meeting with the team last Saturday, and he'll continue to rehab his ACL for most of the summer in his homeland. Porzingis is also documenting his road to recovery. The first episode of the Youtube series will be posted soon, according to his IG account.
The Knicks finished the season 11th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-53, which was ninth worst in the NBA. They have not made the playoffs since the 2012-13 season.