There was a difference during yet another injury absence in several games between Kristaps Porzingis and the Dallas Mavericks.
Trade rumors have surfaced for the first time since the 2.13-meter Latvian arrived in Dallas as the centerpiece of a successful 2019 deal with the New York Knicks.
Set to return from an absence of three games because of stiffness in the lower back, Porzingis dismissed the subject of trade – but not in the same direct way that owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle tried to refute reports that the Mavericks were open to proposals.
“It was like I left, and it is what it is,” said Porzingis on Friday, the day before a meeting with Brooklyn, which could be his second game in New York since the exchange. “I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, and I shouldn’t be too concerned about that. It can only distract me at the end of the day. “
Coach Rick Carlisle said he expects the 2018 All-Star to play against Kyrie Irving, James Harden and the Nets if there are no problems on Saturday morning.
Porzingis, 25, lost the first nine games of the season by recovering from surgery on his right knee after getting injured in his first playoff game in the Florida bubble last summer.
Porzingis’ right knee caused an absence of 10 games at the start of his first season at Dallas. He was traded while recovering from a torn ligament in his left knee, an injury sustained in what turned out to be his last game against the Knicks in February 2018.
The Mavericks chose not to play him until the end of the 2018-19 season, and he rested on the second night of consecutive games eight times with Dallas. The previous edition is not new, but it has never kept him out for so long with the Mavericks.
“I just didn’t have the best luck,” said Porzingis. “I’m working to make sure my body is strong and durable and I can just play without thinking about anything, without worrying, just being free and enjoying the game I love.”
In all, Porzingis lost 32 of 106 games in two regular seasons with the Mavericks, who acquired him with the hope of making him the star helper of point guard Luka Doncic. Porzingis also lost half of his six games during a first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in August.
“The challenge comes from starting the season halfway through and not having December training, pre-season training or the traditional training ground to build a base,” said Carlisle earlier in the week. “We will solve this.”
The previous problem came after the Mavericks were inactive for a week because of two climate-related delays. There will be almost two weeks between Porzingis’s games if he plays against Brooklyn.
Porzingis’ offensive game has been irregular, as illustrated not long before the last absence, when he had 15 points out of 6 out of 14 shots in one game before scoring 36 and hitting eight out of 13 points out of 3 in the next.
His defense was hampered, with Porzingis coming close to the bottom of the NBA in defensive efficiency, averaging 1.6 blocks per game. That would be a low point in his career and is significantly below his 2.0 career average.
“I have already had situations … in defense, you see with your eyes and your mind and you want to react and you are half a step late and you are not there,” said Porzingis. “This is also a frustrating feeling. When you know you can do it, but you just don’t. “