3. Luka Doncic/Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks
It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen the Unicorn play. Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL in the 2017-2018 NBA season when he was a member of the New York Knicks. In case you forgot about him, he’s a 7-foot-3 big that can shoot anywhere from the floor with ease along with elite defense and shot-blocking abilities.
In three scrimmages, he impressed his teammates with his shooting and mobility, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Some pre-injury highlights in case you forgot about the high flying Unicorn:
Prior to his injury, Porzingis was averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, on 39 percent shooting from 3, along with 2.4 blocks.
Now, add the Lithuanian big man to a lineup featuring Rookie of The Year phenom sensation Luka Doncic, and you’ve got quite the duo. Doncic impressed and stole the ROY award only a few months into the season last year.
He’s such a uniquely gifted talent that plays the game of basketball his own way. Doncic is a pick-and-roll genius. He’s wisely learned how to use his body and superb ball-handling skills, along with the threat of his other teammate, to get to any place on the floor every time he calls for a pick.
With his incredible shot-making ability, he also possesses an impressive talent to finish around the rim. Making countless “No Way!” shots.
Luka Doncic is becoming one of those rare generational talents that will change the game like Steph Curry and LeBron James.
In his rookie season, he averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and six assists. The sky’s the limit for the Slovenian forward. The pairing of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis will form the best tandem of Euro players in the league – NBA history, perhaps?
The only reason the two aren’t ranked higher on this list is for the simple fact that Porzingis is coming off an ACL injury and may not regain form until the midway point of the season. He will most likely be playing at a level of 70 percent and his unknown chemistry with Luka adds more difficulty.
Nonetheless, the two future superstars posses an unbelievable amount of talent and will be exciting to watch this year and many more to come.