Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle could not hide his excitement about the promising duo of European basketball superstar Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Carlisle said that the Doncic-Porzingis pairing will benefit not only the Mavs but also the entire league. The veteran head coach said that the NBA “will be very good” when the two young superstar starts playing together because they are a perfect fit to each other.
Doncic turned heads last season with his performance. The 20-year-old forward averaged 21.2 points on top of 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. The Slovenian star is a strong candidate for the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
“Luka and Kristaps complement each other well,” Carlisle said via Dwain Price of Mavs.com. “You've got a 7-3 guy (in Porzingis) and you've got a 6-7 guy (in Doncic) that both have ball skills. They'll be great in the pick-and-roll, they'll be great in other situations when they pass and cut and find each other.”
The Mavs rolled the dice before the trade deadline in February when they acquired Porzingis from the Knicks. Before the trade, it was already known that the Latvian superstar is unlikely to return during the season, as he was still recovering from an ACL injury he sustained during the 2017-18 NBA season.
Carlisle said that they are committed to offering a long-term contract to Porzingis, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. The one-time NBA champion coach also expects the 23-year-old Porzingis to be fully ready when they start their training camp in September.
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