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A key storyline in the NBA Finals is the return of Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis to their former teams. The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks have learned that they were better off without these two stars. So, they parted ways with them. Eventually, they ended up swapping places. The big man joined Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the most recent offseason while the All-Star guard combined forces with Luka Doncic at the trade deadline a year before.
Now, both Kristaps Porzingis and Kyrie Irving have a lot to prove. But, before any of that happens, Luka Doncic looked back at his time with the current Celtics stretch big man. Up until now, he is puzzled as to why they did not find much success with one another at that point in their careers, via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
“I don't really know. I don't know why it didn't work out. We were still both young. We tried to make it work, but it just didn't work, so we moved on,” Luka Doncic declared.
Kristaps Porzingis spent three years with the Mavericks and Doncic. The biggest postseason breakthrough that they had was a first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. They pushed that star-studded squad to seven games but eventually crumbled. This did not mean that Porzingis' time with the squad was not productive. He was still churning out big numbers to be the secondary option alongside Doncic.
Throughout his 134 games played with the Mavericks, he was able to average 20 points on a 44.8% clip from all three levels of scoring. Moreover, he knocked down his shots from outside 34.5% of the time. His 8.8 rebounds alongside 1.7 blocks were also a big factor as to why the Mavericks succeeded in the regular season.
Roads taken after the Mavericks experiment
Injuries and off-nights just bogged the Mavericks down come the NBA Playoffs. Doncic needed to carry a lot of the load and was even averaging 35 points just to keep his team afloat. Eventually, the decision was made that Porzingis needed to go. While that was a bittersweet moment, it was exactly what both parties needed.
Doncic would eventually find a co-star who fit better in Kyrie Irving. The two did have hiccups which caused them to miss the postseason. However, they surely made up for it and are four wins against the Celtics away from getting back into basketball immortality.
Porzingis, on the other hand, just had to find himself and get comfortable with his identity. He thrived with the Washington Wizards and got to fully express himself through his style of play. He got better at drop coverage, rim protection, and three-point shooting. All of which made him a worthy player to be traded to the Celtics.
These two former running mates will now have to outduel each other's squads for a chance to win the NBA Finals. For Porzingis, a team legacy and an 18th banner are at stake. For Doncic, a shot to be the greatest player to ever don the Mavericks jersey is at hand.
