LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 17: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks announced Kristaps Porzingis has had surgery.
Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is on track to be one of the best offensive 7-footers we’ve seen in the last few decades, but his fragile body is starting to betray him in the prime of his career. Fresh off helping Dallas reach the Western Conference playoffs, Porzingis learned that starting 2020-21 on time might be an unreasonable proposition.
On Friday, Dallas announced that their 7-foot-3 Latvian big man has undergone surgery on his meniscus. While he is going to begin his rehab immediately, there is no timetable for his return.
Kristaps Porzingis has been sidelined frequently by injuries in his career
Porzingis has lived up to his billing after being picked fourth overall by the New York Knicks, averaging 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. However, the spindly big man has seen injuries ravage his career. After playing 72 games as a rookie, he hasn’t topped 66 in any season since. Past knee injuries forced him to sit out the entire 2018-19 season before he earned a trade to Dallas.
While the Mavericks have Luka Doncic as an established superstar, they need Porzingis to emerge as that viable No. 2. He is certainly capable of that when healthy, but his injuries mean Dallas should invest in frontcourt depth a bit more solid than Boban Marjanovic. With four more years and $130 million still left on his massive contract, the Mavericks need to hope that his legs have the strength to last him the next half-decade.
Porzingis is one of the most versatile offensive players in the league, as players with his height, shooting, and ball-handling capability don’t come around the block every day. However, the injury concerns with him are starting to overshadow his play on the court, and Dallas needs to take that into consideration as they try to build around Doncic.