Porzingis may have made Cuban cry!
In the game against the Pistons, the starting Porzingis played only 20 minutes before leaving the game early due to sore right knee, which has become his most common scene this season. Since coming to the Lone Ranger, Porzingis has always had its own "Glass Man" attribute, even if the Lone Ranger eventually breaks into the playoffs, relying only on Doncic alone, the prospects are still worrying, and Porzingis's injury hidden dangers also make the coexistence of the two full of unknowns.
Since suffering a major injury to the Knicks, Porzingis has no intention of returning to the top, even if the Lone Ranger's tactics are suitable for him, but he has never found the form. So far this season, Porzingis has played only 40 games for the Lone Ranger, with a attendance rate of only 64%. While averaging 20.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and shooting 36.2 percent from three-point range, that didn't help the Lone Ranger much at all.
When Cuban traded Porzingis under pressure, he hoped that he could succeed Nowitzki and become the new leader of the team's interior line. After all, in terms of playing style, Porzingis has a lot of similarities with Nowitzki, and his defensive ability is better than Nowitzki, even if Porzingis was still injured at the time, but Cuban still chose to trade him to his team and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility.
The arrival of Porzingis also gave Doncic a better partner. Since the eye-catching performance of the rookie season, Doncic has become one of the league's most high-profile players, and although his partner with Porzingis has not been formed for a long time, the prospects are very promising, especially the excellent projection ability of the two, which makes people look forward to the future of the Lone Ranger.
However, Porzingis's injury and illness are too big, and in order to ensure that he can have a healthy body, the Lone Ranger has also taken protective measures against him. Although Porzingis has averaged 31.1 minutes per game this season, this has set a new low since his rookie season, and such a change has not guaranteed Porzingis' attendance. Although Porzingis does not have a particularly serious injury today, the suspension will only affect the tactical continuity of the Lone Ranger, and it will also have an impact on the maintenance of his own form.
Except for his rookie season, Porzingis never made more than 70 appearances in a single season, and frequent injuries not only caused Porzingis's offensive efficiency to decline, but also the most praised defensive ability began to deteriorate. Although Porzingis has averaged 1.4 blocks per game so far this season, his defensive efficiency is only 114.7, ranking 302nd in the league, and even when facing small attacking players, he lacks enough aggression on the defensive end. Especially in terms of movement speed, he can't keep up with his opponent, and this point will always be overtaken by his opponent.
While Cuban hopes to establish Porzingis and Doncic as the team's new interior and exterior partners, as they did when they built the Nowitzki and Nash duo, Porzingis' frequent injuries have left the future of the team full of unknowns. Now that the Lone Rangers have hoarded a large number of players on the outside, these people have formed a certain tacit understanding with Doncic, and if Porzingis does not come up with a good enough state, it is difficult to guarantee that Cuban will be so patient.