The Dallas Mavericks underwent some major changes this NBA offseason. They have a new person leading the front office in Nico Harrison, who has taken over for Donnie Nelson. On the sidelines, Jason Kidd is also taking over for Rick Carlisle, who stepped down as head coach and joined the Indiana Pacers to become their leading man.
One of the things that Kidd will have to figure out is how to get Kristaps Porzingis better involved. Porzingis has been unable to live up to the expectations placed on him when the Mavericks acquired him from the New York Knicks.
He was expected to be the running mate to Luka Doncic to help this team reach new heights. Dallas hasn’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since 2011 when they won the NBA Finals. If they are unable to get Porzingis on track, that drought will continue growing.
Porzingis was a non-factor in the 2021 postseason, averaging 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 33.3 minutes per game. Those are far off from his regular-season numbers of 20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks.
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Jason Kidd is hopeful that the plan he has for Kristaps Porzingis will yield better results for him and the team during the 2021-22 season.
“The simple way to put it is, I want KP to be a basketball player,” said Kidd, who anticipates Porzingis starting at power forward to begin the season. “There’s no limitations on just shooting 3s. Being able to roll, to be able to shoot the midrange, to be able to put the ball on the floor — I want him to be who he is, and that’s a basketball player and not just be limited to shooting 3s or crashing from the corner. I want him to feel comfortable on the floor in any spot. I think he’s a weapon. He shoots the ball too well not to be able to shoot mid-range shots.”
Having Porzingis comfortable no matter where he is deployed on the court would certainly lead to better results. But, making sure he can get on the court is just as important of a task, as Porzingis has a lengthy injury history.
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He has played in only 100 regular-season games for the Mavericks the past two seasons after sitting out the entire 2018-19 season recovering from an ACL tear. Luka Doncic believes he is in better shape heading into the season, which is a positive.
“I think he’s in way better shape this year, especially mentally,” Doncic said. “You can see him having a good time when we’re playing pickup, and I think he’s going to have a great season this year.”
If he is in as good of shape as Doncic believes he is, we could finally see the production that Dallas was hoping for when they originally traded for him. Being available is key as Porzingis cannot help the Mavericks win games if he is in a suit on the bench.
