Chapter 1 The Price of Trading Unicorns
Kristaps Porziņģis hereinfollowing referred to as KP
When the Mavericks welcomed their savior Luka Dončić, the management decided to use several veterans in the team and Dennis Smith JR, who was a little dissatisfied with the team because of the ball problem. New York Knicks’ unhappy KP and other players
Trade price: Dennis Smith JR, DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews plus two first-round picks
Such a deal seemed to excite fans at the time. While the team had a raising star, the team decided to acquire Kristaps Porziņģis, known as the successor of the new generation of Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas, following years of failing to attract big-name players in the market, decided to take the initiative to usher in the Dirk successor we all fancied. The unicorn, who was supposed to be flying around the court and playing uniquely inside and out, but following deducting the current FMVP in a game once morest the Bucks, the moment when he fell to the ground unfortunately caused his ACL to rupture, which also caused For the next three seasons, “Glasszingis” had a tragic relationship with the Mavericks.
Chapter 2 Is the arrival of the unicorn a curse or a blessing?
There is no doubt regarding KP’s talent, but following the ACL rupture, the New York Knicks took a very passive attitude towards him. It can be seen that the New York management is not particularly optimistic regarding his state following the injury. bring many hidden dangers. There were even more rumors that KP’s brother tried to join the management so that KP might get a maximum salary extension, but was declined. In the follow-up, it was even reported that KP insisted on coming back and wanted to use his performance on the field to win the next big contract, but was rejected by the management. The team’s idea in terms of contract renewal is to lower the price when the injury is unclear, and if they want to put him on the table, they will not easily let him play when his physical condition is not clear. After all, this will affect his transaction. value. When I say this, it’s very similar to what’s been happening with the Mavericks recently. The constant performance of injuries makes it very difficult for KP to maintain a stable state on the court. This situation not only affects his confidence and state, but even the chemical reaction of the entire team, just like the Nets next door. With the team’s highest salary of 31.65 million this season, it is difficult to maintain a stable attendance rate. It is not difficult to imagine that it will inevitably have some impact on the locker room. After all, Dorian Finney Smith leads 4 million but does some blue-collar work every day. Brunson also officially rose this year, and the current salary is only 1.8 million.
A healthy KP is really good, especially in the 2020 Orlando Bubble in his first season representing the Mavericks. The data at the time was 30.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 hot pots. Shooting 47.6 percent overall and 38.1 percent from 3-point range. But the good times don’t last long, and the total sample of this data is only 6 games. In the playoffs, he only played 3 games before withdrawing from the series with the Clippers due to injury. We can’t say that the arrival of KP was a mistake, following all, Dallas doesn’t really attract talent on a realistic level. If KP is not due to injury problems, the Mavericks will never have the opportunity to complete this transaction, following all, the sky in New York is more beautiful.
Chapter 3 KP+Dončić, 1+1=2?
We’ve always been expecting a young duo of these two to dominate the league. After all, they’re definitely the most potential twins in terms of age and fame. But KP’s stuttering attendance and his desire to play offensively have caused some problems with his fit with Doncic. Even last season, there were rumors of tension between the two. After a major injury to KP, the coaching staff prefers that he can play four on offense and five on defense, but he does not seem to be satisfied with this arrangement, and he hopes to play an important role on offense. Just in a large number of low-post singles placement experiments, KP staged a lot of big and small but low hit rate plays. In the general direction, the team hopes that he can maintain the Mavericks’ rim protection and rebound protection, can make open three-pointers on offense, or be an efficient finisher that does not require too much possession time, but obviously this cannot be Satisfy KP’s positioning on the field. Without any stable offensive means and low post skills, a large number of low post shots are not only inefficient but also increase the chance of injury. We often see moments when KP can’t score a small guard in the penalty area alone… Whether it’s once morest Reggie Jackson, Lillard, etc., he can’t score the ball effectively. When KP got injured in New York, his golden phase of progress slowed down. He also missed a lot of games in his three seasons with the Mavericks, and injuries have made it difficult for him to become an All Star Player and no longer a reliable second-in-command on the team. The evolution of Luka Dončić has exceeded many people’s imagination, causing KP’s injuries and performance to be particularly conspicuous, and a watershed in the cooperation and development of the two. For two consecutive seasons and the playoffs, we have seen a tired Luka lead the team to an excellent performance, but the second master next to him has always been unable to stand up to share some of the pressure for himself.
