While he's started shooting and light running on the court while working his way back from a torn ACL, Kristaps Porzingis said Monday "there's no timetable yet" for his return to the Knicks.
"Whenever I'm ready I'm going to be back," Porzingis said at Knicks Media Day "We've done things differently, we've been reall conservative. And at the same time, I've been killing myself working," he added, noting that there's no protocol for recovery for a player of his size.
"I want to be back on the court as soon as possible," Porzingis noted. "But it won't happen until I'm 110 percent and medically cleared."
When answering a question about whether the injury could keep him out for the entire 2018-19 season, Porzingis said "it's really hard to say," while again saying that he's trusting the process and that the decision will ultimately be up to doctors.
Whether he returns or not this season, Porzingis said that he likes what he's seeing around the Knicks.
"It's good energy around here" - @kporzee pic.twitter.com/hcpfsjozeh
- SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) September 24, 2018
One other thing hanging over Porzingis is his contract situation, with Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry saying last week that in order to preserve cap room in advance of the prized 2019 free agent class hitting the market, the team would wait until after that before potentially extending him.
"That is something I have not thought about," Porzingis said. "I think my management is dealing with [that] and we're going to talk about that whenever is the right time."
Porzingis, 23, averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 48 games last season before suffering his injury.