Mavericks: Was trade deadline anxiety a factor for Kristaps Porzingis?

The Dallas Mavericks are a dangerous team when healthy. They proved it in the bubble by putting the LA Clippers on the ropes in their first-round playoff series. Kristaps Porzingis suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the final three games as the heavily-favored Clips knocked off the Mavs in six.

Porzingis missed the first nine regular-season games recovering from his offseason surgery. The Unicorn had no training camp and was always going to need a few games to ramp up. The Mavericks were hit hard by COVID issues just as KP returned to the lineup. They slipped to 8-13 and were one of the biggest disappointments in the early season.

Dallas has bounced back but is fighting to avoid the play-in tournament down the stretch. They must finish in the top six to guarantee a playoff berth. The Mavs will need their two stars to play their best over the final 15 regular-season games. Here is a look at why KP’s best basketball may be ahead of him.

Did trade deadline anxiety impact Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis?

Porzingis was surprisingly the subject of trade rumors. It started with a report from Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer on Feb. 22. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, GM Donnie Nelson, and head coach Rick Carlisle all denied the rumors, but there was plenty of smoke from the media.

Did those rumors impact KP’s play? What does that mean going forward? Here is a closer look at Kristaps Porzingis’ numbers to determine if the rumors affected his game.

Next: Looking at the stats