Kristaps Porzingis an 'If' All-Star: Dallas Mavs Coach Jason Kidd
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks hold high hopes for what Kristaps Porzingis can achieve as the co-star to Luka Doncic this season.
Porzingis is coming off an impressive performance in Friday's preseason win over the LA Clippers. He achieved totals of 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks in 19 minutes.
After the Mavericks' victory, coach Jason Kidd expressed his utmost confidence in Porzingis' abilities -- going as far as to say that he believes Porzinigis will be an All-Star this season.
“If that’s the history, then we’ll sign up and take that,” Kidd said. “I think he has the skill-set to be an All-Star. He is an All-Star in this league. Sometimes we judge people unfairly because of injuries or other things that are going on, and we expect them to be robots or be All-Stars every year.
“Sometimes we don’t reach that bar, but I think he’s going to be an All-Star this year, and if he’s not, he’s going to be right there on the cusp of being an All-Star.”
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There were a few major factors that went into Porzingis' one All-Star appearance that he achieved in 2017-18. For starters, playing for the New York Knicks brings a natural boost in popularity. It also didn't hurt to be in what was at the time a weaker Eastern Conference.
It will take a genuinely exceptional effort for Porzingis to earn an All-Star nod in the loaded Western Conference. Last season, he averaged 20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks but will need to up those figures more to land an All-Star spot.
After a fully healthy offseason to continue to improve, Porzingis has a strong outlook. It's an important detail when considering he made it clear he 'wasn't 100-percent' after coming back from a torn meniscus in his right knee last season.
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It sounds as though Porzingis will have the type of offensive role to produce those results. It could be a matter of personal execution and team record, not opportunity.
