5 best games of Kristaps Porzingis' career: Highlighting the unicorn's unique skill set
Kristaps Porzingis is a "unicorn". This means that he is a tall player, supposedly designated as a center, who can slash to the rim and even shoot from long range as a forward.
In today's NBA, it's equivalent to the so-called "stretch-4" or "stretch-5".
Kristaps Porzingis has been a match-up problem since he was picked fourth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
His seven-foot-three frame and seven-foot-six wingspan make him tough to guard if his opponent is shorter and tough to get a shot at.
However, Porzingis also has a decent 3-point shot that forces the opposing big man to commit to him from 24 feet out, likely leaving the interior open for someone else to get a layup or dunk if he opts for the inside pass.
To give you an idea of how Kristaps Porzingis plays, let's take a look at five of his best offensive performances so far in his stellar NBA career.
5 best games of Kristaps Porzingis' career
5. When Kristaps Porzingis was the top 3-point scorer (Dallas vs. Minnesota, March 1, 2020)
Kristaps Porzingis led the Dallas Mavericks to a 111-91 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minneapolis on March 1, 2020.
He finished with 38 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, five blocks, and one steal.
The glaring stat, however, is that Porzingis went 6-of-14 from 3-point range.
As an additional fact, he had the most threes made in that game, making up more than half of the total three-pointers Dallas made in that game (11).
Take note, also, that the team played without Luka Doncic.
4. When Porzingis willed his team vs. James Harden and Russell Westbrook (Houston vs. Dallas, July 31, 2020)
Nearly five months later, when the NBA entered into a bubble in Orlando to finish up its 2019-2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic, Kristaps Porzingis put up another dazzling performance. This time, it was against two established superstars in James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Porzingis led the Mavericks during their game against the Houston Rockets with 39 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, one block, and two steals.
Doncic put up a triple-double in that game, too, with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The breakout star that time, though, was Trey Burke, who had 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 8-of-10 on threes, one rebound, six assists, and one steal.
Dallas pushed Houston to the limit that game, even forcing overtime.
In the end, however, the Rockets prevailed, 153-149, behind Harden's 49 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and three blocks and Westbrook's 31 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block.
3. Porzingis' first 40-point game (Indiana vs. New York, Nov. 5, 2017)
Before he eventually found himself moving to other teams, like the Mavericks and later the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks seemed to have found their new franchise star in Kristaps Porzingis.
Needless to say, New York hit the jackpot when they got Porzingis fourth overall in the 2015 draft.
Proof of that was when he established his then-career-high 40 points in the Knicks' 108-101 win against the Indiana Pacers.
It was basically "The Kristaps Porzingis Show". He went 15-of-24 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line on top of eight rebounds, one assist, and six blocks.
The next top scorer for New York? Tim Hardaway Jr. with 16 points.
2. When Porzingis seemed to have found a new home in Washington (Minnesota vs. Washington, Nov. 28, 2022)
No thanks to an ACL injury, the Knicks thought Porzingis would not be able to go back to his old self and traded him to the Mavericks.
However, as mentioned above, Porzingis showed that he could still put up stellar numbers in Dallas.
But Porzingis suffered another knee injury. This time, it was a lateral meniscus tear, which eventually slowed him down.
So the Mavs decided to ship him to the Wizards for the previous season.
And it was in Washington that he set his new career-high twice.
The first one was when the Wizards hosted the Timberwolves on Nov. 28, 2022.
Porzingis led Washington with 41 points on 12-of-18 field goals and 6-of-10 threes, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals.
To add, he held Karl-Anthony Towns, another known "unicorn", to just eight points, two rebounds, and four assists.
1. Porzingis' current career high (Atlanta vs. Washington, March 8, 2023)
Kristaps Porzingis set his current career high just five months ago, tallying 43 points alongside five rebounds and five assists when the Wizards hosted the Atlanta Hawks.
He went 17-for-22 from the field and 7-of-10 on threes.
Washington's "Big 3" was stellar in that game as Kyle Kuzma had 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals and Bradley Beal put up 24 points, three rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block.
However, Trae Young's 28 points, four rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals turned out to be enough to lead Atlanta to the road win, which helped define Washington's tough season.
The Wizards eventually decided to undergo a rebuild, trading Porzingis to the Celtics and Beal to the Phoenix Suns.