Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis was just coming into form when the season was halted. Here is a grade for his production in the 2019-2020 season.
Dallas Mavericks fans were amped up when the trade was announced on Jan. 31, 2019. They had acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks. The All-Star was still recovering from a torn ACL but gave the Mavs the second young star they coveted.
At the moment, it appeared Dallas gave up a significant amount to acquire Porzingis. They traded four of their five starters including their 2017 lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. and two first round draft choices. The Mavs also took back Courtney Lee, Trey Burke, and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hindsight is 20/20. The trade looks like a steal for the Mavericks now. Porzingis returned healthy this season. Hardaway Jr. became an efficient shooter and the third scorer for the playoff-bound Mavs. Only Smith Jr. remains in New York, and he had a down season.
Today, we will examine the 2019-2020 season of Kristaps Porzingis. Yes, it could resume at some point, but it has already been two months since the suspension. By the time it tips off again, a normal offseason of time will have passed at least. The 67 games the Mavericks played will forever be its own season in many ways.
A few things to remember. One, Porzingis had not played in an NBA regular season game since Feb. 6, 2018 before opening night. There was going to be some rust and adjustment time needed. Two, KP only played 51 games this season. He missed ten straight with a knee injury in January. The Unicorn also sat back-to-backs for most of the year. Let us jump into it.
Next: Offensive grade