Kristaps Porzingis has yet to become the star the Dallas Mavericks were hoping he’d be. Luka Doncic thinks that could change this upcoming season.
Doncic spoke about Porzingis on Tuesday and revealed the 7-foot-1 forward has improved, particularly in a mental capacity, compared to last season.
Porzingis disappeared from games all too often last season. If he improves, the Mavs could be a real threat in the Western Conference.
“He’s in a way better place now [than last season], especially mentally,” Doncic said of Porzingis, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I think you can see — everybody can see — that he’s playing way better.”
Luka Doncic on Kristaps Porzingis: “He’s in a way better place now [than last season], especially mentally. I think you can see — everybody can see — that he’s playing way better.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 19, 2021
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Despite Kristaps Porzingis’ poor play, especially in the bigger moments, the Dallas Mavericks have stuck with him. This is the year he needs to turn things around and prove the Mavs right.
It’s also worth pointing out Porzingis could be in a better place because of the Mavs’ off-season coaching change. Dallas moved on from head coach Rick Carlisle, who was rumored to be a tough-as-nails coach behind the scenes. It’s plausible his coaching style didn’t work well with Porzingis’ personality.
If Porzingis can play this year like he did when he was with the New York Knicks, the Mavericks will be dangerous. If he doesn’t, the team’s success will ultimately rely on Luka Doncic’s heroics.
The Mavericks begin the 2021-22 season on Thursday, Oct. 21 against the Atlanta Hawks.
The post Luka Doncic Has Encouraging Update On Kristaps Porzingis appeared first on The Spun.