Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had a curious comparison for Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
Cuban said during an interview on 105.3 The Fan the Doncic-Porzingis combo is akin to the former Mavs duo of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry in terms of their relationship:
“They weren’t best friends at the beginning, but they grew to like each other and grew to be great friends and that’s just part of the process when you’ve got young kids who are growing up,” Cuban said, via Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.
Cuban went on to say it took time for Dirk and Jet to develop off-floor chemistry, adding Doncic and Porzingis are simply two different people.
The comments come amid ample speculation as to the state of the relationship between the two Mavs stars. But the parallel with Nowitzki and Terry is interesting and potentially important.
Dallas had acquired Jet prior to the start of the 2004-05 season. He had a strong debut campaign with the Mavs, but also had to get acclimated as more of a third or fourth scoring option and true point guard.
However, Terry's role evolved throughout his Mavs tenure. As Cuban suggests, so did his relationship with Dallas' franchise player. Terry said back in 2017 Nowitzki had a “special place” in his heart and called Dirk a “transcendent” player in the history of the game.
Perhaps Doncic and Porzingis will grow to understand and appreciate one another. It's important to remember their partnership is still in the fairly early stages given the fact injuries have cost both guys time over the course of the past two seasons.
Cuban feels confident his stars will figure it out. Dirk and Jet wound up winning a title together in 2011, and the Mavs are hoping Doncic and Porzingis will have that kind of success.
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