Rick Carlisle knows that Maverick fans are hungry for a Kristaps Porzingis sighting. So is the coach.
And he got a little glimpse of what’s to come Tuesday morning.
Carlisle said that he watched the 7-3 newcomer play in a scrimmage of sorts and came away very impressed, hinting that the big man could be practicing “soon.”
“I have those thoughts all the time,” Carlisle said when asked if he is intrigued by the future. “But, that’s not where we are.
“KP is doing very well. I watched him play a live 3-on-3 game this (Tuesday) morning and do a lot of spectacular things and a lot of simple things with a great degree of specialization. The prospect of him being with us on the court is extremely exciting. But we’re not there yet. But he’s ramping it up and he’ll be practicing with us sometime soon.”
The Mavericks have been adamant that Porzingis will not play in any games until next season. He has been traveling with the team and sitting on the bench during games.
On Tuesday against the Spurs, he spent a lot of time sitting next to proprietor Mark Cuban on the baseline.
As for what he liked about the Tuesday workout, he said: “I like everything I see in him. I like the disposition, I like the mental approach, I like the attention to detail, I like the seriousness, I like the detailed approach to developing his craft and skill. And it’s certainly exciting.
“But right now our focus is certainly, in the background, on his continued recovery and development, but in the foreground, it’s the guys we have available and we just got to keep working to get those guys better.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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