Mavs Kristaps Porzingis - 'Being Himself' - Wins NBA Player of the Week
The easiest explanation for Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis being named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, March 1?
''I've been myself,'' he said.
This marks the second time in his career that Porzingis, 24, has earned Player of the Week honors - but it's been awhile. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from Oct. 30 through Nov. 5, 2017, with New York).
But now he's joined Luka Dončić (Nov. 18 through Nov. 24) as the second Mav to win the honor this season. (This week's winner in the East is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
A big part of the big man's success? More minutes at the center spot for a Dallas team that is in the No. 7 slot in the NBA West playoff chase.
"This is a picture of what the future of the 5 is going to look like,'' Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "A guy with great length, who can shoot long-range, drive, pass, protect the rim, rebound, and know how to play the game. Stack it up, he's a great young player.''
(Read more about KP's enjoyment of the 5 spot here.)
Porzingis (7-3, 240) led the Mavericks to a 3-1 week with averages of 26.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game – all team-highs for that stretch. He totaled at least 24 points and 12 boards in each of the final three games during the week.
The Latvian forward/center capped off the week by connecting on a career-high-tying six 3-pointers en route to scoring a season-high-tying 38 points and adding 13 rebounds and five blocks in 37 minutes at Minnesota on March 1. He joined Dirk Nowitzki as the only Mavericks player to produce a 35-point, 10-rebound, five-block effort. Porzingis and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis are the only players to record a 35-point, 10-rebound, five-block stat line in 2019-20.
Porzingis is averaging 19.2 points (second on the team), a career-high (team-high-tying) 9.4 rebounds, a team-high 2.0 blocks and 30.8 minutes per game in 47 games (all starts) this season. He has posted 15 20-point, 10-rebound efforts in 2019-20, which is by far the most 20/10 games he has recorded in any one season of his career (his previous most was eight, which he produced as rookie with the Knicks in 2015-16). Porzingis has also registered 21 double-doubles this year, which ties his career-high for most in a single season (21 in 2015-16).
His week was capped by his work in Sunday's win at Minnesota, where Porzingis tied a season high with 38 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while also connecting on a career high-tying six 3-pointers. He's the only player in NBA history with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five made treys in a game. It's the second time he's accomplished the feat.
''The 38 points tells about a quarter of the story of what he did in this game,'' Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said after Sunday's 111-91 victory. ''Defensively, he was phenomenal. Changing shots, blocking shots, rebounding the ball, deflecting, saving balls. It was a defensive clinic.''
And it's been quite a week, in every way, for Kristaps Porzingis.
