Kristaps Porzingis had a solid regular season. He put up averages of 20.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 1.6 APG. Those are solid numbers for a player that was coming off a meniscus injury that happened in the 2020 playoffs.
While Porzingis had a solid enough year, his production dropped off in the playoffs, which has led to a lot of criticism from both fans and media. Porzingis only averaged 13.1 PPG and 5.4 RPG in the playoffs, and the Mavericks could certainly have used his scoring. There’s no doubt that Kristaps Porzingis will be an important piece for the Mavericks next season, and some believe that Kristaps Porzingis proving that he can be that co-star for Luka Doncic will be paramount to their success.
Despite all the noise and the trade rumors surrounding him, Porzingis remains unbothered. Callie Caplan of Dallas News relayed that Porzingis has seen all the hate on social media, but he understands that fans can get really passionate about sports. Kristaps Porzingis also offered a funny quip, stating that he’s also a “couch expert” when watching sports that he enjoys, such as MMA.
Liked this perspective from KP on @dfwticket:
Said he sees criticism online, but it doesn't bother him much because he knows how he reacts with passion when he's watching his favorite sports, like MMA, on TV: "I'm that couch expert also."
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) October 1, 2021
While some players can be bothered by consistently being berated by fans, it seems as though that isn’t the case here. In any case, the outside criticism should stop if Kristaps Porzingis has a bounceback year for the Dallas Mavericks, which he is more than capable of. New coach Jason Kidd believes that Porzingis is a “perfect fit” for Luka Doncic, and perhaps he’ll devise a way to get the best out of both of them.
The Dallas Mavericks will hope to get further in the playoffs next year, and Kristaps Porzingis being able to play at a high level will be crucial to that endeavor. Kristaps Porzingis is a great player, who has suffered unfortunate injuries. Hopefully, he is able to stay healthy and have a productive season next year.
