As many of you have already heard, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kristaps Porzingis in a trade with the New York Knicks, giving their gifted rookie Luka Doncic a legitimate sidekick. Porzingis, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL, won't play again this season but so far is saying all the right things about wanting to stay in Dallas for the long-term.
Before his injury, Porzingis was an All-Star averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. He looked like a legitimate franchise piece for the Knicks, making it surprising that the Knicks would be willing to give him up without being ensured a super star in return. While it's no slam dunk Porzingis will return to his All-Star level form, odds are good he will given the advances in modern medicine and the way in which many guys have successfully rehabbed from torn ACLs. Assuming he does, the Mavericks have a future to be really excited about.
What makes a Doncic/Porzingis combo so scary is the way in which they compliment each other so well. Doncic (20.7 points, 7.0 rebounds & 5.4 assists) has already established himself as a player who is unafraid of the big moment, willing to shoulder a franchise on his back. When you give him a big man like Porzingis that can stretch the floor and protect the rim, you make his job so much easier and allow him to play his game even more freely.
With the Dirk Nowitzki era fading into the sunset, the Mavericks have been in need of a next chapter to look forward to and now they have that chapter with Porzingis and Doncic. I don't know if it will yield another championship, but if these two guys stay together, the potential to make several deep playoff runs is definitely there. It's a bummer we won't see these guys in action together until next season, but on the flip side, that gives us something to look forward to as we look ahead to the 2019-20 season.
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