It’s time for Kristaps Porzingis to start being the guy the Mavs thought he was.
Listen, when you are 7-foot-3 with the ability of Porzingis you don’t really have a choice but to be special. That’s the price that comes with that level of talent.
This means you can’t average a pedestrian 14.3 points over the course of a heated first-round series with the Clippers. Not to mention only grabbing 3.7 rebounds per game at 7-foot-3!! Porzingis at least averaged close to nine during the regular season.
The 5-foot-11 Facundo Campazzo averages more rebounds in the playoffs for Denver than Porzingis does for the Mavericks. Think about that.
Porzingis is shooting 43 percent from the field on about 12 shots per game. The big man is only shooting three free throws per game as well. This is a clear indication to me that Porzingis just hasn’t been aggressive enough for the Mavs. Luka Dončić is doing his thing and Tim Hardaway, Jr. has been spectacular, along with other role players, which is why Dallas is currently leading the series 2-1. But if the Mavs want to win this series, it’s going to take an aggressive Porzingis putting pressure on the Clippers defense, because they don’t have anyone who can match up with a 7-foot-3 big who can shoot and handle the ball the way Porzingis can.
He can’t go 3-10 with only 9 points again and expect the Mavs to win this series. Despite the slander that the Clippers receive on social media, they are still a good team and can easily win this series.
The Mavs can be a really scary team when they make shots and could make a run when they get hot. But they need their “second option” to start playing like a second option instead of playing like an afterthought.
Dallas’ run in the postseason will all be determined by the play of the seven-foot Latvian that they are paying nearly $30 million a year.
If Porzingis can’t support Luka consistently, it’s going to be wraps for a deep playoff run. If he can, they could potentially find themselves in the Western Conference finals.
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