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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 29: Kristaps Porzingis (6) of the Dallas Mavericks questions being called for charging Paul Millsap (4) of the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
via Getty
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 29: Kristaps Porzingis (6) of the Dallas Mavericks questions being called for charging Paul Millsap (4) of the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter on Tuesday, October 29, 2019. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Kristaps Porzingis found a new lease on life after leaving the New York Knicks. After joining the Knicks in 2015 as the 4th overall pick in the draft, he spent 4 tumultuous years there.
While it was obvious that Porzingis was the best player for the Knicks, the team was on a downward trend. Porzingis left the Knicks and joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2019 as part of a big trade.
Porzingis joined fellow European and former Spanish league player Luka Dončić in Dallas. After a significant layoff due to injury, Porzingis signed a max contract with the Mavericks in 2019 free agency.
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 02: NBA basketball player for the New York Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis celebrates Delta Air Lines Fly Like a Pro campaign with a H-O-R-S-E competition at Chelsea Piers in New York City on March 2, 2016. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Delta Air Lines)
The 2019-2020 season showed promising glimpses of the Doncic-Porzingis connections, with the players being the most dominant attacking threats for the Mavs.
Porzingis consistently had high scoring games for the Mavs, averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds a game this season. However, Porzingis’ importance to the Mavs was truly reflected during the Playoffs.
The Mavs lost the series to the Clippers in 6 games, and Porzingis played in only 3 games and being controversially ejected in one of the games. Porzingis missed out on the rest of the games due to an injury.
Nonetheless, Porzingis notched decent performances in the Playoffs. He averaged close to 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block per game.
Kristaps Porzingis frustrated with injury
Porzingis’ presence on the court was very important for the Mavs, as their biggest win in the series came with the Latvian playing 38 minutes in Game 2. It appears as though Porzingis’ injury and recovery will keep him sidelined into the new season.
It was revealed that Porzingis will miss a part of the new season as he recovers from his injury. He himself commented on the situation, expressing his frustration and disappointment.
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KP: "We were in rhythm and I felt good out there. That’s why it sucks that there was a setback like this. But I feel like it’s just a small, small bump in the road. I’ll bounce back from this in no time and I believe I’ll be able to pick that rhythm up right where I left off." pic.twitter.com/KPOAhuqBEF
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) November 18, 2020
Porzingis said, “We were in rhythm and I felt good out there. That’s why it sucks that there was a setback like this. But I feel like it’s just a small, small bump in the road.
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“I’ll bounce back from this in no time and I believe I’ll be able to pick that rhythm up right where I left off.”
The new NBA season kicks off on December 22nd, but Porzingis will join the Mavericks later as he remains in recovery. Given his young age and history with injuries, the Mavs will not be rushing him back anytime soon.
