Dallas Mavericks: Is Kristaps Porzingis primed for a resurgent season?

Dallas Mavericks: Is Kristaps Porzingis primed for a resurgent season?

The Dallas Mavericks finished the 2019-2020 regular season as the seventh seed in a stacked Western Conference with a record of 43-32. In his first year with the team, Kristaps Porzingis averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game. He suited up for 57 of the Mavericks’ 75 contests, thanks to a knee injury and load management.

Porzingis took it to another level during the restart by averaging a staggering 30.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in the seeding games. He cut to the basket for powerful dunks, sank deep threes off the catch, and blocked shots at a high clip. Despite his dominant play, KP’s success was cut short by a meniscus injury after three playoff games.

KP is no stranger to the injury report. He has suffered a catalog of ailments, most notably his ACL tear in 2018. Many observers would consider him injury-prone. At 7’3, the historic trends for big men do not help his case. There is a long list of star talents that saw injuries derail their careers including Blake Griffin, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Yao Ming.

Can Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis buck the trend?

There are exceptions to the norm. It is justifiable to doubt the certainty of his health and how that affects his production moving forward. As the injury list grows, KP is more likely to succumb to wear and tear.

Kristaps Porzingis is at a crossroads in his career where two drastically divergent paths can emerge.

Next: Best-case scenario for KP