Kristaps Porzingis should take the whole season off if he wants. Here’s why.

Knicks head coach David Fizdale finally gave an update on the health of his star player, Kristaps Porzingis, after the 7’3 big tore his ACL in February. He said Porzingis is “still jogging and doing light rehab,” according to ESPN’s Ian Begley, but he hadn’t started sprinting. That sounded the alarm for panic among Knicks fans and writers, as Fizdale was still unable to offer a timetable for his return.

Porzingis used Instagram to tell a different story, as he posted pictures of himself running along with a UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov meme that reads: “this is number one bullshit.” A day later, Fizdale took responsibility for his gaffe.

But does it really matter if Porzingis is sprinting or not? As SB Nation’s Knicks site Posting and Toasting wrote:

Those types of headlines are designed to scare Knicks fans into clicking on the article so they can find out what in the hell has gone wrong with KP’s recovery, but the truth is that nothing Fizdale said indicated there have been any problems at all. In reality, the facts are simple. Porzingis is rehabbing from a serious knee injury and the timing of when he might return remains uncertain.

Whether Porzingis is 60 percent healthy or 95 percent healthy is beside the point, as long as he suffers no setbacks. He should rest for as long as he needs this year, and then some. Take a nap, play some video games, do nothing, Kristaps.

Anyone who watched Duke’s season opener against Kentucky knows why.

The Knicks stink, but they’re taking the right steps to recovery for the first time in a while. Minutes are prevalent for youngsters Frank Ntilikina, Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox, and surprise undrafted guard Alonzo Trier, and New York is losing. Those truths are the keys for any Process-esque rebuild.

The kids are getting run and a chance to learn and improve, all the while losing to ensure another piece to the puzzle will be attainable in the next draft, even if the odds of the worst teams getting the top pick have flattened with lottery reform.

An injured Porzingis is almost like a cheat code. The Knicks aren’t as bad as they appear — their best player isn’t playing! But his absence in the team’s lineup doesn’t hurt their chances at a top pick. All loses are equal.

Without Porzingis, the Knicks have the blessing of a trial and error season to see who is a long-term fit and who is replaceable, all while stockpiling losses for the opportunity to draft the Next Best Thing.

It’s extremely early, but Duke has a pair of wings who fit the description of a current NBA star. Williamson and Barrett are polar opposite 6’7 slashers, and either could fit perfectly beside Ntilikina, Knox, and Porzingis, the team’s highest current draft picks.

Williamson is a 285-pound unicorn in his own sense, with the power to bully defenders into the paint and a newfound ability to shoot from deep. His defensive versatility screams a bigger, tougher Draymond Green with way better leap.

Barrett might be the best scorer in his class, with a sweet stroke from distance and the ability to take defenders off the dribble. He’s quick, can handle the ball, and is the favorite to go No. 1.

A full breakdown of what both do well can be found here. (Go ahead and look at these highlights, Knicks fans.)

Rushing Porzingis back does nothing but risk his health and adds wins to the column in a year you don’t want them. Even with the NBA adjusting draft lottery probabilities so the bottom-three teams all have the same chances at the top pick, it still rewards losing. So keep at it!

So stack up those “Ls,” New York. And if you do it right, this might be the last time.