DALLAS – The first half of the season was not too much fun for Kristaps Porzingis.
He missed the Dallas Mavericks’ first nine games while recovering from surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee, which forced him to stay in the last few games of his first NBA playoff series. Porzingis’ struggles, especially defensively, ranked as the second significant factor (after a COVID-19 outbreak that hit half the rotation) in Dallas, being probably the league’s most disappointing team in six weeks. season.
And Porzingis heard his name appear in the factory of commercial rumors. Although Mavs owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle have publicly stated that the team has not engaged in commercial discussions about Porzingis, the perception among directors across the league is that it is available.
The reality is that the move from Porzingis would probably be an important step back for the Mavs, who envisioned him as Luka Doncic’s long-term co-star when they traded for him two years ago. Dallas needs Porzingis, who is in the second season of a five-year, $ 158 million contract, to reach his “unicorn” potential with his mix of skills to be anything. kind of threat at the competitive Western Conference.
The good news: Porzingis once again offered a brief look at this possibility. His first performance out of the All-Star break – a 28-point outing, with 14 rebounds in Wednesday’s 115-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs – was certainly encouraging.
“I feel like I’m getting there,” Porzingis said. “I have to keep working. After the operation, the leg does not feel the same, so you must continue to work on this force and make sure that it is strong and stable and that you feel confident at the end. It’s a non-stop job, but I feel better every day and in every game and I get to work. That gives me confidence that I can go out there and play and play freely.
“I’m looking forward to the second half of the season.”
Porzingis’ health will always be a major concern, and the Mavs must carefully manage their workload in the second half of the compressed season. He has not yet completed a healthy campaign during his four-year career and more in the NBA and there are complications that come along with a 3-meter body that already needed surgery on both knees.
Coach Rick Carlisle has repeatedly referred to the physical challenges of returning to knee surgery – and a rehabilitation process that led him to miss training camp – which is why Porzingis often resembles the highest traffic cone in the world. world at the defensive end of this season.
“My feeling is that he is on a constant trend,” Carlisle said on Wednesday, crediting Porzingis with the work he has done to make such progress. “There’s more evidence tonight.”
There is also convincing statistical evidence from Porzingis, who was a two-way force at the end of last season. Two months into the season, Porzingis had the second-lowest defensive rating among the league’s rotating players, as the Mavs allowed 119.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, an embarrassment for a player to based to provide rim protection. Take this with a small alert sample, but since Porzingis came back from a brief absence due to lumbar tension, his defensive rating was a stingy 103.1 in four games, all winning for the Mavs, who equaled the longest winning streak of the season. to improve to 19-16.
Porzingis was pretty good offensively this season, averaging 20.5 points per game, with an effective field goal percentage of 54.6%. He was extremely effective as the Mavs came out of a five-game under-5,500 hole, hitting 50% of his hits on the floor and 40% of the 3-point range, as Dallas has won 10 of the past 12 games. played Porzingis.
Carlisle pointed out that Porzingis feels the different ways teams defend him, which often protects him with a much shorter player and essentially dares Dallas to prevent his offense by feeding him in the post. Porzingis was 11-of-17 off the floor against Spurs, scoring in a variety of ways, including a few cuts in the second half when he was fed by Doncic, the kind of chemistry the Mavs in their franchise need.
“We all progress as a team,” said Doncic, who had a 22-point double, 12 rebounds, 12 triple-double assists against Spurs. “KP was much better. He was trusted [coming back] since his injury and I think he will increase his confidence and be much better. “