Kristaps Porzingis’ injury was a devastating blow to the New York Knicks, but he’s keeping a positive attitude through his rehab process.
Kristaps Porzingis is working on having a short memory. His career hit a major obstacle when he went down with an ACL injury in early February. But the New York Knicks’ superstar is focusing on the future.
KP released a video with the Players Tribune in which he discusses his rehab from his ACL tear. Porzingis is open, honest, and overwhelmingly positive.
For Porzingis, moving forward and letting the past stay in the past is his main focus.
“I always say it kind of as a joke that I have a short memory and champions have a short memory. I don’t worry about things too long after they happen. I try to move on and it was similar with the injury.”
One of the big concerns regarding an injury of this magnitude is whether or not the player can come back and maintain his aggressiveness. Sometimes players can come back tentative due to fears that they’ll get injured again. Porzingis is certain that he can move past the typical mental blocks following an injury.
When asked if he has any fears about returning he had this to say:
“If I’m 100 percent honest, I don’t have any fears about the injury. Other than that I’m not really worried about anything else.”
He seems to have the right mindset. It’s always easier said than done, but KP appears to be saying—and doing—all the right things during his rehab process.
In terms of Porzingis’ overall goals, this injury has done nothing to lower his expectations. He still plans to be one of the best players in the league and his individual aspirations are still sky high.
“I wanna be the MVP of the league one day. I wanna be Defensive Player of the Year. All those things remain as my goals. If you have enough confidence in yourself that you’re gonna work and you’re gonna try to be the best hoop player you can be then why would you be afraid of the negativity or adversity?”
If he can achieve either of these goals, Knicks fans will worship him. MVP may be a bit lofty, but KP has shown the ability to seriously contend for a DPOY award when fully healthy. KP was leading the league with 2.4 blocks per game when disaster struck.
His interior defense was superb all of last season. Had he remained healthy, there’s no doubt he would have been a central figure in the DPOY conversation.
“Short memory. Keep moving. Keep working. Keep getting better. That way the real moment of joy — being back on the court and enjoying the game will come sooner.”
Knicks fans are already energized with the hiring of David Fizdale and the positive showing from the rookies at the Las Vegas Summer League. Positive updates on KP’s rehab are sure to move the needle even more.
