Porzingis impressing Cuban: 'The guy is a bona fide superstar'
Through eight games of NBA action following a 20-month ACL rehab, Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is already looking closer to his old self than many anticipated.
The Latvian has averaged 20.1 points along with a career-high 8.3 boards and 2.6 blocks in 32.9 minutes per contest thus far, serving as a strong secondary option behind Luka Doncic and drawing the admiration of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
"The guy is a bona fide superstar," Cuban said, according to Mavs.com's Dwain Price. "He's putting up ungodly numbers and he's still rusty. Can you imagine where he's going to get to?"
Enthusiasm aside, Cuban's assessment of Porzingis' play isn't entirely accurate. The 24-year-old's per-game numbers may pop off the page, but Dallas has struggled mightily on both ends of the court during his minutes this season.
The Mavericks entered Monday's action surrendering an additional 6.8 points per 100 possessions with Porzingis on the court, according to Cleaning The Glass. Things haven't been much better on offense, with Dallas scoring 23.3 fewer points per 100 possessions when Porzingis is on the floor.
Dallas acquired Porzingis in a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks this past February, shipping Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and two first-round picks to New York in exchange for the prized big.
Even with Porzingis operating at less than full strength, the Mavericks have enjoyed a strong 6-3 start in a highly competitive Western Conference.