Kristaps Porzingis' Ankle Injury Appears to Be Minor, per Wizards' Wes Unseld Jr.

Washington Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a left ankle sprain Monday during his team's 116-107 preseason win over the Charlotte Hornets, appeared (but did not participate) in his team's Tuesday practice.

Josh Robbins of The Athletic provided the latest news on Porzingis, who reportedly suffered a minor injury, per head coach Wes Unseld Jr.

Porzingis told Robbins in September that he was coming into the 2022-23 season "with a chip on my shoulder." He slimmed down to 235 pounds after playing at 242 pounds earlier in his career.

The Wizards acquired Porzingis from the Dallas Mavericks prior to last season's trade deadline in exchange for Spender Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.

He only appeared in 17 games for Washington last season and averaged 22.1 points and 8.8 rebounds on 47.5 percent shooting and 36.7 percent from three-point range, all improvements from the numbers he put up in 34 games with the Mavs.

Nicknamed "The Unicorn," Porzingis was once viewed as one of the most promising big men to enter the NBA in recent years. However, that perception is far in the past, as his career has been ravaged by injuries. Porzingis hasn't played a full season in his seven-year career and hasn't appeared in more than 60 games since his second season in 2015-16.

Porizingis' peak came during the 2017-18 season when he was named an All-Star and averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.

His season came to an end after 48 games that year when he suffered a torn ACL, which kicked off his devastating run of injuries. He missed the entire 2018-19 season while he recovered and was traded to Dallas that year.

Entering his first full season with the Wizards, Porzingis is set to make $33.8 million this year. He can become a free agent next summer if he chooses to decline his $36 million player option.

The Wizards are slated to start their regular season on Oct. 19 on the road against the Indiana Pacers. If Porzingis is forced to miss time, the Wizards will insert fourth-year center Daniel Gafford into the starting lineup. Veteran Taj Gibson could also see time as a small-ball 5.