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Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis will make his debut against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, coach Rick Carlisle told reporters.
Porzingis will start and be on an undisclosed minute restriction upon his return from surgery in October to treat a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee. Carlisle has said there will be a “range of minutes” he is looking for Porzingis to play, but that will largely depend on how he feels. The coach said he will communicate with Porzingis throughout the game and check how he is doing.
“The most important thing is to put it back on the floor,” Carlisle said. “We won’t play him for long stretches of time. It doesn’t make sense. We’re going to try to space and put him in situations where he can get into a rhythm.”
Porzingis, 25, has been a full participant in Mavericks practices for the past two weeks as he prepares for his comeback. He was slated to make his debut on Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans, but that game has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns among the Mavericks.
The addition of Porzingis would help the Mavericks solve a deep problem created by a recent pair of positive COVID-19 tests and the associated contact tracing on the list. Power forward Maxi Kleber, small forward Dorian Finney-Smith, shooting guard Josh Richardson and point guard Jalen Brunson are all in NBA health and safety protocols.
Carlisle said 12 players are active for the game but five more remain in league protocol.
7-foot-3 Porzingis, who missed a season and a half as he recovered from a left ACL tear suffered in February 2018, suffered his last injury in the Mavericks’ playoff opener against the LA Clippers in August. . He played the next two games – including a 34-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 3 – before pain and stiffness in his knee forced Porzingis out of play for the rest of the series.
Porzingis averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in his first season with the Mavericks in 2019-20.
Information from Tim MacMahon of ESPN and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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