The Dallas Mavericks are eyeing a January return for star Kristaps Porzingis, who made it through full practice on Tuesday.
Porzingis – the 2018 NBA All-Star – was a full participant in practice for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in October.
Porzingis sat out the remainder of the Mavericks' first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers last season, having suffered a lateral meniscus problem that flared up in Game 3.
"Sometime in the next couple of weeks isn't far-fetched. It isn't certain, either," Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said when discussing a timetable for the return of Porzingis.
"I think we just have to go day to day with it and hope that things can keep moving in a positive direction."
First full practice for the big man @BioSteelSports | #DrinkBioSteelNotSugar pic.twitter.com/CfvH5alOSy
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 29, 2020
Porzingis averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists during the coronavirus-hit 2019-20 NBA season.
The 25-year-old had been acquired by the Mavericks from the New York Knicks ahead of the campaign, after he was selected fourth in the 2015 Draft.
"I just need a little bit of time now to get back in a rhythm and feel good on the court, and that's it," said the 25-year-old.
"I don't want to have that adaptation time while I'm already playing. I want to try to do as much as I can right now before I start playing, and once I start playing, I want to play at a high level right away."
The Mavericks (1-2) are coming off a record-breaking 124-73 victory over the Clippers.
Dallas earned a 77-27 half-time lead on Sunday – the Mavericks' 50-point advantage the largest through two quarters since the shot-clock era began in 1954-55.
It was also the first time in NBA regular-season history that a team won a road game by 50-plus points against a franchise that had a .650 or better winning percentage the season before, per Stats Perform.
