Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been widely regarded as one of the best players in the NBA throughout his entire short pro career.
That said, one thing has consistently eluded him: a reliable second option.
Once upon a time, Kristaps Porzingis was supposed to be that. When the Mavs acquired him from the New York Knicks, the hope was that he and Doncic would team up together to accomplish something truly special in Dallas.
Sadly, that didn’t end up happening. In fact, the opposite occurred. The two bickered and beefed, culminating in Porzingis getting traded. And when he did get traded, the Mavericks started playing way better and made the Western Conference Finals.
This week, Doncic and the Mavs squared off against Porzingis’ new squad, the Washington Wizards.
Understandably Doncic was approached and asked about his former teammate.
“I talked to him. He has a nice beard.”
Luka Doncic spoke with old teammate, Kristaps Porziņģis. #MFFL | @dallasmavs on @BallySportsSW 📺 pic.twitter.com/xBsXUFWq2E
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) November 11, 2022
“I talked to him,” Doncic said of Porzingis.
“He has a nice beard.”
It is hard to overstate how disappointing of combination Doncic and Porzingis were. On paper they were a duo that made all the sense in the world; in reality they just didn’t mesh.
All parties seem happier now that they are apart.
Doncic, as mentioned, advanced the furthest he had ever been in the playoffs last year. Various Mavericks players have admitted to being happier having shed a disgruntled teammate. And Porzingis, for his part, seems to be having fun running around D.C. getting into shenanigans with his girlfriend.
The video speaks for itself. Jokic is an MVP on and off the court. https://t.co/7MmyhGX8nG
— Game 7 (@game7__) November 11, 2022
A win-win-win.
Doncic will likely win a championship at some point in his NBA career. It’s hard to see how it doesn’t happen.
What will Porzingis ultimately be able to accomplish when it’s all said and done, though? That’s a far tougher question to answer.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
