Kristaps Porzingis – Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic is one of the young faces of the NBA and is the face of the Dallas Mavericks, but there has been a lot of discussion about whether or not Kristaps Porzingis can still be the high-level, All-Star talent he once was. 

The Latvian big man has not fit in well next to Doncic over the years and while the Mavericks did explore some trade opportunities for him in the offseason, no big moves were ever made. Starting the year scoring 20-plus points just once through his first five games and dealing with some injuries yet again, Porzingis did not begin the year he needed to. 

Now however, with Luka Doncic missing three games due to a knee/ankle sprain, Porzingis has stepped up in a big way and is starting to prove that he can in fact be the second primary scorer they need him to be. 

Kristaps Porzingis has averaged 23.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists and scored at least 21 points in eight of the last nine games he has played in. Now shooting 44.2% from the floor and 36% from three-point range, Porzingis has been the Mavericks’ best scoring weapon over the last recent stretch and is starting to regain the trust of this organization. 

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The Mavericks are kind of in a similar situation to that of the Portland Trail Blazers where they have an MVP-caliber player, but the rest of the roster is very inconsistent. Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson are all solid contributors on offense, but this Mavericks team does not seem to have an identity. 

Right now at 10-7, the Mavericks look to be a playoff team for the third consecutive year, but they could also fail to win a playoff series for the third consecutive year. Luka can only carry this team so far, which is why Kristaps Porzingis is going to be the key for them taking the next step as a team in the Western Conference.