'500 Makes': Porzingis Has 'Kobe-Like' Plan For Return
DALLAS - The NBA is coming back. And Kristaps Porzingis is coming back. But not before the Dallas Mavericks' stellar big man gets maybe one more stint in his gym back home in Latvia, making sure he doesn't quit until he's registered "500 makes.'' ... inspired in part by the late Kobe Bryant.
"Each shooting day is at least 500-plus makes,'' Porzingis writes on social media. "My focus is on making each shot count and not waste time while I am in the gym.''
Not long ago, we got a look at video of KP shooting jumpers in an empty gym - presumably in his native Latvia, as he readies to return to the States in the coming days (with an NBA deadline of June 15 to do so).
The shooting form looks as good; our Dalton Trigg suggests there may even be a bit more arc to his shots than usual. The possibility of picking up where he left off before the COVID-19-induced NBA hiatus (at which time playoff-bound Dallas was in seventh in the West with a 40-27 record) exists; Porzingis was averaging 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game overall ... and in his last 15 games, Porzingis was averaging 25.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from deep.
And now? More details, from KP himself.
The Mavs will play eight more regular-season games before they begin their first playoff quest in over three years. It will be an unconventional NBA postseason for sure, but it will also be the first for both Porzingis and his superstar running mate Luka ("Playoff Luka'') Doncic. And, as we recently discussed on Episode 60 of our Mavs Step Back Podcast, this campus-style setup that teams will experience at Disney World seems to favor younger teams like the Mavs, and especially guys like Doncic and Porzingis, who are used to playing in a similar postseason framework overseas.
Porzingis looks ready. ... for more "makes'' in actual games. And part of the inspiration?
"Kobe said it’s not how much you work, but it’s how much your mind is present when you are working,'' Porzingis writes.
