Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban isn’t planning to depend on Kristaps Porzingis to be the team’s second scorer behind Luka Doncic.
Luka Doncic’s performance in the NBA Playoffs this year was magnificent.
The performance of his No. 2, Kristaps Porzingis? Not so much.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban addressed the topic during a talk with St. Mark’s School of Texas alumni this week.
“Trust me, nobody wants to get Luka more help than I do,” Cuban said, per Diamond Leung of The Athletic. “What do we need is really the question, and we need a second scorer. There’s no question about it.”
Basically, Dallas isn’t going to expect Porzingis to be that guy.
Mark Cuban addressed Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavericks second scorer
“I think people were unfairly giving KP a hard time,” Cuban said. “KP is who he is.”
Of course, saying someone “is who he is” is the equivalent of Ben Simmons’ “it is what it is” after the Philadelphia 76ers were knocked out of the playoffs. It’s not very satisfying when you’re paying a guy $30 million a year.
What is comforting is that Cuban recognizes Porzingis isn’t the answer. The Mavericks need someone else to take the pressure off of Doncic because Porzingis sure isn’t going to do it.
“That’s what we’re going to look for this summer,” Cuban said. “How do you get a star who can create his own shot, so the responsibility isn’t completely on Luka?”
That’s the multi-million dollar question. There are players out there who would pair nicely with Doncic, but bringing them in will present a challenge.
Clearly, this isn’t a situation the Mavericks thought they’d be in two years after trading for Porzingis.
He has averaged more than 20 points per game in two regular seasons with Dallas. However, his playoff average of 13.1 points per game was not enough. The Mavericks can’t afford to lean on him after that postseason performance.