Knicks C Kristaps Porzingis is working to make sure his recovery from an ACL tear he suffered last season goes smoothly -- both physically and mentally.
"The scar is going to be there, but it's more important that the scar is not up in here [in my head], so when you get back out on the court, you don't even think about your knee," Porzingis said duing a video with The Players' Tribune video. "I've seen the play 1,000 times, I've seen the video. I know exactly how it felt, and I'm not shying away from it."
Porzingis' injury occurred on February 6 when he was dunking on Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Knicks have yet to announce a timetable for his return. In the meantime, Porzingis said he has taken up yoga.
"I just wanted to disconnect the mind and be solely focused on what I need to do, all those postures and just focus on the breathing," he said. "That one hour after every time I leave yoga, it's a fresh beginning. I've been disconnected. No phone, no thinking about basketball or thinking about the injury, thinking about the leg."
Knicks koçu David Fizdale, Kristaps Porzingis'in iyileşme süreci ve antrenmanlarını takip etmek üzere Letonya'da. pic.twitter.com/i0xfHugJFO
- Do Deka (@dodekabasket) July 25, 2018
Porzingis said he ultimately does not have any fears about the injury and is looking foward to returning to the court.
"I want to be the MVP of the league one day," he said. "I want to be the Defensive Player of the Year. All those things remain as my goals. If you have enough confidence in yourself that you're going to work and try to be the best player you can be, then why would you be afraid of the negativity or adversity?"
Knicks head coach David Fizdale visited Porzingis in Latvia this week. Porzingis has been rehabbing in Madrid as he works his way back from the injury.
Porzingis played a career-high 72 games during his rookie season in 2015-16 and 66 games in 2016-17. He was limited to 48 games last season, during which he averaged a career-high 22.7 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.