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Before truly finding himself as a member of the Boston Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis thought he had found a home alongside of Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks. However, things did not work out for Porzingis in Dallas, and in the lead up to meeting Porzingis and the Celtics in the NBA Finals, Doncic and head coach Jason Kidd shed some light on why the situation unraveled.
“I don't know why it didn't work out,” Doncic said, via Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. “We were both still pretty young. We tried to make it work, but it just didn't work, so we moved on.”
The Mavericks, who acquired Porzingis in a trade with the New York Knicks back in January 2019, dealt Porzingis to the Washington Wizards midway through the 2021-22 campaign. That was Kidd's first season as Dallas' coach, so he didn't get to spend too much time with the big man.
When asked about Porzingis, Kidd had nothing but good things to say about him.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd on coaching Kristaps Porzingis when he played for Dallas:
"When you talk about, 'Did it work, did it not work,' I only had him for a short period of time and I thought it was going well in the sense of our defense, his ability to block shots, rebound. And… pic.twitter.com/0bpT8rtDcN
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 5, 2024
Porzingis posted impressive numbers with the Mavericks, but he had difficulty staying healthy, and it was clear that the fit with Doncic simply wasn't working.
The Celtics then landed the 28-year-old in a blockbuster three-team trade last summer.
The Mavericks have made it work without Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis is unquestionably one of the most talented bigs in basketball, but the Mavericks have been just fine without him.
Dallas has been able to get by with big men like Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, both of whom have played pivotal roles in Dallas' run to the NBA Finals. Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell have also done an admirable job in supplementary roles.
Of course, it's the Mavs' backcourt that has truly propelled them, as the dynamic duo of Doncic and Kyrie Irving has been nearly impossible to defend. Plus, Dallas has added pieces like P.J. Washington, Josh Green and Derrick Jones Jr. who have been great complements to Doncic and Irving.
As for Porzingis? He is set to return for Game 1 of the finals after a calf injury knocked him out for most of the playoffs. He initially suffered the injury in Game 2 of Boston's first-round win over the Miami Heat and has been sidelined ever since.
He played in 57 games this season, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks over 29.6 minutes per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 85.8 percent from the free-throw line. Additionally, he logged a career-best .226 win shares per 48 minutes.
In the end, things have seemed to work out better for both sides. The Mavericks have found the perfect cast of characters to surround Doncic with, and Porzingis has certainly carved out a vital role alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Beantown.
One does have to wonder if things might have gone differently if Porzingis were able to stay healthy in Dallas, because there were definitely moments where he and Doncic looked like a very formidable duo together.
Now, the two former teammates will battle each other for NBA supremacy.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Mavericks and Celtics is on Thursday night.
