Dallas Mavericks need Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup
Like many other playoff teams from the NBA’s restart bubble, the Dallas Mavericks haven’t exactly gotten off to the hottest of starts to the 2020-21 season. They’re currently 5-4 and Luka Doncic, specifically, is struggling individually.
While he may be averaging 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists per contest, he’s only shooting 45 percent from the field and 23 percent shooting from 3-point range. In short, his efficiency has taken a hit compared to his first two seasons in the league, and perhaps that could be attributed to the amount of offense that he’s being asked to carry.
With Kristaps Porzingis out, the offense is almost squarely on Doncic’s shoulders. As Doncic goes offensively, that’s how the Mavs, as a team, will follow.
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Offensively, the Mavs have just the 15th ranked offense in the league which is down significantly from having the NBA’s best-ranked offense just a year ago. The saving grace for the Mavs this season has been their defensive prowess.
The Mavs have the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense this season, allowing just 105.5 points per 100 possessions. If Dallas can get its offense back in order, and the return of Kristaps could go a long way in that happening, there’s no question that this Mavs team could emerge as a dangerous threat in the Western Conference.
The good news for the Mavs is that there’s a chance Kristaps makes his season debut Monday night. And the likelihood is that he will make his 2020-21 debut for the Mavs at some point this week.
Kristaps has missed the start of the season due to offseason surgery after suffering an injury in their first-round NBA playoff series against the LA Clippers during the NBA’s restart. While it wouldn’t be fair to expect Kristaps to be a huge difference-maker from the moment he steps on the floor, you can expect him to help this struggling Mavs team.
At the very least, he’ll help from a depth perspective.
Help is on the way for the Dallas Mavericks, and Kristaps Porzingis’ return could be the exact remedy to the team’s slow start offensively.