Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban raved effusively about Mavs big man Kristaps Porzingis in a recent interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, claiming he has done much more than scoring to help the team fight for a playoff spot.
Cuban pointed out all the little things Porzingis does that don't necessarily show up in the box score, making sure to focus on overall impact rather than just base statistics. The outspoken owner was factually in the right line until he couldn't help himself but to draw a rather poor comparison to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, right after saying KP isn't really like Dray:
“He’s not Draymond Green (of the Warriors). He’s not like Draymond Green, but in some ways he is Draymond Green,” said Mark Cuban. “He doesn’t fill up the (box score) the same way, but he impacts the game in so many different ways, particularly in crunch time, it’s incredible.
Green and Porzingis couldn't be any different as players. One is a 6-foot-6 undersized power forward making up for his size deficiency with all-out effort, an understanding of basketball fundamentals and an innate sense of timing. The other is a 7-foot-3 giant with incredible gifts of length and athleticism, using them at the right time in crunch-time situations.
Cuban wants to laud Porzingis for getting his hands dirty and doing some timely work on the glass and defending the rim, but comparing him to Draymond Green is a rather lackluster analogy for the avid basketball fan that he is.
Kristaps Porzingis is averaging 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on the season. While he's only shooting 40.3% overall and 34.3% from 3, the young big man has helped the Mavs run out to a 21-11 record on the season. Dallas is fifth in the Western Conference, and all KP really cares about is winning.
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