Dallas Mavericks need more from Kristaps Porzingis

Dallas Mavericks need Kristaps Porzingis to rebound

Mavs fans know that Kristaps Porzingis is a special offensive talent, but he has struggled in two of the first three games of this series on that end of the floor. Dallas needs him to be more involved in all facets of the game, though. None more so than on the glass.

KP grabbed 11 rebounds in the series. No, that is not a misprint. In 102 minutes on the floor through three games, Porzingis has secured 11 boards. It is almost unexplainable. Yes, the Clippers are going small and forcing him to guard on the perimeter. The Mavericks are also using him as a perimeter-oriented threat, but he is often the tallest player on the floor by at least seven inches. There is no excuse to not be better on the glass.

The Clippers had seven offensive rebounds in Game 3, including two that sparked their first-quarter run to get back in the game after trailing 30 to 11. Here Nicolas Batum soars in for a dunk because Porzingis fails to put a body on him.

KP had one defensive rebound in 34 minutes on Friday night. The Unicorn needs to crash the glass and secure boards for Dallas to pull the upset.

Next: Protect the rim