The Dallas Mavericks underwent some changes this offseason, one of which was firing former head coach Rick Carlisle and bringing in Jason Kidd as his replacement. Those changes will lead to major changes on court, with one of the biggest revolving around the role of Kristaps Porzingis.
On Monday, Kidd told media members that he anticipates Porzingis to start at power forward and not center this season.
Kidd said the transition is to help Porzingis “be a basketball player” and not just a spot-up shooter from three. He also hopes for Porzingis to expand his offensive role in 2021-22 by putting the ball on the floor more and taking more midrange jump shots.
This will be a change for Porzingis, who has primarily operated as a center throughout his NBA career. Nonetheless, a swap to the forward position may bring back the performance he seemingly lacked last year (primarily due to injury).
Popularly dubbed “The Unicorn” for his unique combination of size and skill, Porzingis has played in five seasons in the NBA after being drafted fourth overall by the New York Knicks in 2015.
In 286 career games, Porzingis has averaged 18.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
The Mavericks will need an improved performance from Porzingis to take the next step forward as a franchise, as last year’s team couldn’t get out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, losing in six games to the Los Angeles Clippers.
