Kristaps Porzingis MRI Reveals Knee Injury to Be Torn ACL; Will Undergo Surgery

The New York Knicks announced that star forward Kristaps Porzingis tore the ACL in his left knee Tuesday.

Porzingis suffered the injury after dunking over Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. He landed awkwardly and was helped to the locker room.

Shams Charania of The Vertical reported Porzingis will undergo season-ending surgery.

The 22-year-old was selected for his first All-Star game this season and had established himself as one of the best young players in the NBA. He entered Tuesday averaging 22.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and a league-best 2.4 blocks per game.

After showcasing plenty of potential over his first two seasons, he has thrived as the go-to option for the Knicks, who traded Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder in September. Porzingis' play has also helped New York surprisingly remain in the playoff hunt. It's just five games out of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference after a loss to Milwaukee dropped it to 23-32.

Without by far their best player, however, the Knicks—who've lost four in a row—will likely struggle the rest of the season.

ESPN Stats & Info noted the team's problems this season when it's played without the Unicorn:

The Knicks have a lot of depth in the frontcourt between centers Enes Kanter, Kyle O'Quinn and Willy Hernangomez as well as Michael Beasley and Lance Thomas at forward, but no one can possibly replace Porzingis.

The injury could also greatly affect how New York approaches Thursday's trade deadline.

Porzingis was the fourth All-Star to pick up a serious injury since the rosters were announced, following DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall and Kevin Love. All four were on Team LeBron.

Kemba Walker and Ben Simmons are potential fill-in representatives for the Eastern Conference.