Luka Doncic is, undoubtedly, the shining star in Dallas, and the Mavericks will only go as far as he takes them.
But if the team hopes to maximize their potential, Kristaps Porzingis will have to step up and become the star we all hoped he’d be.
Over the past few seasons, Kristaps has struggled to stay healthy and when he has been healthy, his play on the court has been lackluster and wildly inconsistent.
Still, Mavs coach Jason Kidd expressed some confidence in KP during a recent interview, and it should be considered a good sign for Mavs fans.
“If that’s the history, then we’ll sign up and take that,” Kidd said. “I think he has the skill-set to be an All-Star. He is an All-Star in this league. Sometimes we judge people unfairly because of injuries or other things that are going on, and we expect them to be robots or be All-Stars every year.
Sometimes we don’t reach that bar, but I think he’s going to be an All-Star this year, and if he’s not, he’s going to be right there on the cusp of being an All-Star.”
Porzingis was an All-Star in 2018 when he averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game on 43.9% shooting.
He hasn’t quite been the same since that season, but he showed flashes of stardom last season when he put up 20.1 points per game.
With Porzingis compromised, the Mavericks weren’t able to advance past the Clippers in Round 1, marking the second straight year their season was cut off early.
The hope is that with a full summer of healing and development, KP will be able to step up as a viable sidekick for Luka and the Mavs can finally reach new heights in the Western Conference.
