Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd explains how he expects Kristaps Porzingis to play a different position in the 2021-22 NBA season
With the Dallas Mavericks hiring Jason Kidd this summer, there's going to be plenty of intrigue about how players like Kristaps Porzingis will perform with a new man in charge. Since 2008, the Mavericks have been coached by Rick Carlisle, who is now with the Indiana Pacers. At media day, Jason Kidd gave us some interesting comments about a potential change to the starting lineup involving Kristaps Porzingis.
Jason Kidd says he expects Kristaps Porzingis to start at power forward, not center. Wants Porzingis to “be a basketball player” — feel free to put the ball on the floor, take midrange shots and “not be limited to shooting 3s.”
We all know that Dallas Mavericks superstar doncic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Luka Doncic is going to be the engine that makes this team go. But the Mavericks are attempting to give their potential secondary star a chance at a rebound this season. Since arriving via trade from the New York Knicks, Porzingis has struggled to stay healthy with the Mavericks. On top of that, the 7'1" versatile big man hasn't been as efficient playing alongside Doncic as some might have hoped.
On paper the numbers look good. Porzingis finished the last two years with the Dallas Mavericks averaging over 20 points per game and finished the 2020-21 season shooting 37.6% from outside. The bigger issue is that Porzingis has become reliant on his outside shot. During his first three years in the league, Kristaps Porzingis averaged around 4.8 three-point attempts per game. In his last two seasons with the Mavericks, Porzingis has averaged 7.1 and 6.0 attempts per game from downtown.
What's so notable about Jason Kidd's comments during media day is the fact that the Mavericks want to play Porzingis at the 4. The Mavericks have some intriguing big men to make that possible in Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber. The idea could be that Porzingis could go back to his old self that thrived in New York. Although Porzingis has the ability to be a dynamic weapon from outside, he's at his best when he's using that as a complementary skillset. When he heavily relies upon it, he's shown a history of struggling with efficiency. Standing at 7'3", the 26-year-old has the ability and size to be a problem as a postup threat on a nightly basis.
If Kidd and the Mavericks can get Kristaps Porzingis to buy into becoming more of a weapon around the basket, it would make him a more dangerous weapon. It's a massive year for a player that many consider the "Unicorn." If Porzingis can have a bounce back type of year and stay on the court for the majority of the regular season, he could turn into the type of player that Dallas desperately needs alongside Luka Doncic.