Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis didn't waste the NBA hiatus, as the Mavs big man is now feeling more confident than ever about his game.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Latvian star revealed how he benefited from the long layoff.
“As the season went on, my knee was pretty much back to normal,” Kristaps Porzingis said, per Doyle Rader of Forbes. “It was just a matter of me getting back into rhythm, getting that feel for the game, that touch around the rim. Little things like that. I feel like now, the extra time that we had to put in the individual work and get a lot of shots up and keep working on my game, I feel really comfortable on the court and into my rhythm and into the feel of the game.”
The Mavs big man also emphasized a new element to his game. While he didn't specifically shared what it is, he teased that he will show it to everyone when the NBA season resumes in Orlando, Florida this July.
“I can’t talk about it,” KP added. “I’ll show you on the court.”
The NBA shut down its season in mid-March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the roughly four months in between, Porzingis has had plenty of time to work on his game and, more importantly, rest his knee.
Porzingis, a one-time All-Star, arrived in Dallas in late January 2019. However, he only made his debut with the Mavs at the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign due to the ACL injury he incurred in 2018 while with the New York Knicks.
Prior to the suspension of play, Porzingis was averaging 19.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in 51 appearances for the Mavs, shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from 3-point range. Dallas, possessing the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff picture at the moment, will play eight final “regular season” games to shake out the standings.
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