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FanSided

Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis stays at no. 11 in Top 25 under 25

By Kohl Rast

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 26: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 26, 2019 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 26: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on March 26, 2019 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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In the third annual Top 25 under 25 rankings from FanSided, Kristaps Porzingis makes it in the rankings once again. The Dallas Mavericks big man actually stayed at the same spot that he was ranked at last year.

When Kristaps Porzingis was drafted in 2016, a lot of people thought the New York Knicks had made a poor pick. By 2017, he was one of the best, most entertaining players in the league. The Dallas Mavericks got in on trade talks with the Knicks earliest and managed to take Kristaps away, making him the co-star with Luka Doncic.

In 2017, FanSided ranked Kristaps as the 5th best player under the age of 25. This ranking was pretty amazing for a 2nd year player and the four names in front of him (Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Giannis Antetokounmpo) were all deserving of being there.

The year after that, Porzingis dropped to 11th on the list. This was largely because of some injury issues that really worried people early on. Those injuries have not gone away and have really gotten people more worried as opposed to less, but Porzingis was able to maintain his position at number 11 going into this year as well.

It is safe to say that if Porzingis comes back and shows what he is made of again this year, that ranking would look very different. At 24 years old now, this is Porzingis’ last eligible year in the top 25 under 25, so he won’t technically be able to move up on the list going forward, but that is irrelevant.

The important point is that we expect KP to be viewed much higher after this season. In fact, an All-Star appearance is certainly not out of the question for the 2019-20 season. Clearly the writers for FanSided recognize the chance that Porzingis comes back strong this year, because 11 would still be pretty high considering we haven’t seen him play in over a year.

Next. Luka Doncic moves up in this year's top 25 under 25

The NBA season is coming fast and preseason ball will be here in no time. Keep pushing, Mavs fans. We have almost made it into the Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis era. No matter what you may think now, none of us are truly ready for what this means.

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