Despite some distractions, Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle says Kristaps Porzingis looks really good in practice and that he’s a unique talent. The player, who is recovering from a knee injury and will not play this season, was recently accused of rape in New York.
Since it was revealed last week that new Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis is been accused of rape in New York City last year, the Mavericks have maintained that they are not commenting on the situation and that nothing will change with Porzingis's status with the team as he continues to rehab a knee injury.
In the meantime, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle emphasized Porzingis will not play in games this season because of a knee injury he suffered last year, but Carlisle was also sure to point out behind the scenes, in practice, Porzingis looks really good.
"He's a terrific player," said Carlisle. "I think he's going to have a lot of impact on both ends of the floor. He's a very unique talent."
"You can tell he is itching to play," said Mavericks forward Dwight Powell. "We're out here playing five-on-five in practice in April, and it's a grind, but he's competing. You can tell he wants to play and he looks healthy. We're looking forward to getting him back out there."
And when Porzingis has played five-on-five in practice, Carlisle is using the opportunity to get a head start for next season, making sure to play him with the starters he is likely to be on the floor with in the years ahead.
"It definitely helps," said Carlisle. "When he had his first five-on-five scrimmage, I had him with that same starting group. Let's not mess around here. Let's get him acquainted with the guys he's going to be playing with and move forward from there."
Moving forward with the future in mind, with a key piece to 2020 Mavs success already making an impact even without playing in games this season.
