Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis is making up for shooting woes

The Dallas Mavericks have won 12 of their 18 games so far this season, and we have only seen Kristaps Porzingis score the ball like he is capable of a handful of times. Yet he is still the second most valuable player on the team.

The defensive side of the ball has certainly not been the strength of the Dallas Mavericks so far this season. This could be because they have struggled slowing some teams down or it could be simply because the offense is on pace to be the most efficient offense in NBA history. Dallas is currently averaging 117.1 points per 100 possessions, the highest mark by any team in history.

Even though the Mavs are scoring at an incredible rate, the defense can’t be neglected completely. There are still stops that need to be made and rebounds that need to be secured. Dallas has been pretty fortunate to have their two stars, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, as the top rebounders on the team.

Luka has been better than anyone could have ever expected so far this year. He is currently averaging 30.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 9.6 assists and has managed to put up these great numbers whether he is shooting the ball well or not.

Porzingis has been on the other end of the spectrum. He has not been playing particularly well on the offensive end and is currently averaging 17.3 points per game. That may seem pretty good, but with his shooting inefficiency so far, we should see that number go up quite a bit as the season goes on.

Despite the shooting woes, Porzingis has been the best player on the Mavs team not named Luka Doncic. This is because his defensive impact really is that necessary for the team. KP is currently 4th in the league in blocks and he is in the top 20 in rebounds. His ability to alter shots and to limit the other team to one attempt have been the driving force for many of the Mavs big runs this year.

Unfortunately, Dallas totally loses that when he is off the court. Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber and Boban Marjanovic do not have the presence in the lane that KP does. When Porzingis does find his shot, teams will be in serious trouble and the Mavs will be winning an even higher percentage of their games.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has been great lately and has helped drive this Mavs starting offense to where it needs to get. He is a key player for this team, but does not have the massive impact that Porzingis is bringing. Even when KP isn’t shooting well, he still draws defenders away from Luka easily.

Dallas has gotten off to a great start and is already being recognized as a team to worry about. Kristaps Porzingis is a big reason for that worry and it’s not all about his shooting.