Three games into his return from injury, Kristaps Porzingis took on the reigning defensive player of the year Ruby Gobert. He didn’t use his post-up skills. He didn’t use his shot-creating skills to create separation from his defender. No, he drove to the basket and postered Gobert with the furiousness of someone proving he was back.
https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1221214076216410113
The Mavericks went 6-4 without Porzingis in the lineup, but the team was missing an essential piece on both ends of the court. Before the injury, Porzingis led the team with 2.1 blocks per game and was second only to Doncic with 9.4 rebounds per game. But those numbers don’t get replaced easily. The Mavericks suffered early on in his absence, especially when it came to defending the paint.
While the Mavericks are just 2-2 since his return, the losses weren’t disappointing. The losses came at the hands of the Clippers and Jazz, two of the top three teams in the Western Conference. Both losses were within just five points. In those games, along with wins over the Trail Blazers and Thunder, Porzingis proved to the team what they’ve been missing.
Off-Ball Impact
With Porzingis’ size and skill, teams have to pay extra attention to someone other than Doncic. This is mostly seen on screens but here, Porzingis draws two defenders while competing for a rebound. They successfully box Porzingis out but they leave Dorian Finney-Smith wide open.
https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1221223751897026560
Aside from rebounding, Doncic has to be happy to see his screen partner back in action. Doncic and Porzingis have had great chemistry on both the pick-and-pop and the pick-and-roll. Both players find ways to score off the screens, causing chaos for defenders. As dangerous as Doncic is on the drive, teams are forced to pay attention to Porzingis as a screener, something they had to do less of in his absence. Here, Ivan Zubac of the Clippers drops to defend Porzingis as he starts to roll. But that leaves Doncic an open lane to the hoop after he gets by Maurice Harkless thanks to the KP screen.
https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1219817267552231425
Rebounding Struggles
On the defensive end, Porzingis has yet to provide any significant change since his return. The Mavericks have given up 50.5 rebounds per game in their past four games, the most in the league in that span. While teams are attacking the paint less, they’re rebounding more, grabbing over 12 offensive rebounds per game. But Monday night’s game against the Thunder showed signs of a return to form. Before that win, the Mavericks had grabbed just 65% of the available defensive rebounds in this first three games back, good for second-worst in the league. Against the Thunder, the Mavericks collected almost 85% of the available defensive rebounds.
While Porzingis started off well, grabbing nine rebounds in his first game back, he followed the performance up with a five-rebound game against the Blazers, a two-rebound game against the Jazz. However, his ten-rebound game against the Thunder and the team’s rebounding success should provide hope. Notably, Porzingis has not had an inside defensive presence capable of slowing down offenses when they attack the paint. Opponents have had the same success in the past three games as they began having when Porzingis first left due to injury.
His defensive effort may not have produced the results Mavericks fans have grown accustomed to seeing, but the offense has received a shot of energy since his return. The team looks like they’re having more fun with him on the floor and he’s executed on the plays given to him by the defense. And if these plays don’t show what his being back means to the team, maybe this video of his teammates in the tunnel celebrating his return pregame will give you all the proof you need.
https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/1219791902993723392
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