Sport DFW
FanSided

What the Kristaps Porzingis trade means for the Dallas Mavericks

By Adithya Prabakaran

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 07: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks and Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks greet each other before the opening tipoff at Madison Square Garden on December 7, 2015 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 07: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks and Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks greet each other before the opening tipoff at Madison Square Garden on December 7, 2015 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next

At first glance, the Mavs look like they won this trade pretty convincingly.

It hasn’t been too long for us to forget that Kristaps Porzingis was an Eastern Conference All Star in 2017. Kristaps last averaged 22.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.4 BLKPG, while shooting a healthy 39.5% from deep. Of course, coming off of a serious injury we can’t expect Porzingis to play that well immediately, but seeing him play anywhere near that level in the near-future should give MFFL’s goosebumps.

The rest of trade package is… interesting. It was only last year that Tim Hardaway signed a 4 yr/ $70 M contract with the Knicks for production that most would consider average at best. According to ESPN, his 14.6 PPG on 45.5% shooting was good enough to score money on par with a good 3 and D shooting guard.

Perhaps the most discouraging statistic with Hardaway is gradual decline in shooting efficiency. According to Basketball Reference, in the 2016, he averaged solid shooting percentages with 45.5% from the field and 35.7% from 3. However, in the 2017 season he shot a poor 31.7% from 3. This year that number has increased to 34.7% but his regular field goal percentage is an abysmal 38.8%.

The breakdown from Basketball Reference suggests he’s almost even in his shot taking tendencies with a 54/46 FG/3 PT FG ratio but is inefficiency with shots passed mid range are pretty visible and concerning. In this new Mavs offense, the Mavs have been spacing the court shooting more threes than ever. Hopefully Hardaway can get some consistency and return to the version of himself shooting better than 35% from behind the arc.

Courtney Lee exemplifies what it means to be a journeyman. The Mavs will be his eighth team in his 10 year career. Ever since the 2016 Knicks “shopping spree,” his name has rarely been mentioned. The inclusion of him in this trade was simply to clear up cap space for the Knicks.

Lee is 33 years old, only one year past his “athletic prime,” but he’s played like he’s nearing the end.  According to Basketball Reference, while shooting 44.5% from the floor, he’s shooting a nauseating 31.5% from 3. His three point shooting percentage has been perplexing because Lee never averaged less than 33.8%, which happened in his second year in the league.

With the Mavs needing serious 3 point threats, having Lee would normally be a great addition. But, what version of Lee are we going to see on the Mavs? Will he be playing like the Lee we’re used to seeing travel from team to team, or will we see a washed up, role playing version that would ask for him to warm the bench?

Lastly, the Mavs got a former 9th overall pick in Trey Burke. Burke is a bit undersized as a point guard but the same could apply to Jalen Brunson. While Brunson is a more natural leader, Burke has the experience that would make him a solid 6th man option for the Mavs. His shooting stats aren’t great only averaging 11.8 points on 41.3% from the floor and 34.9% from 3 according to Basketball Reference.

Knowing Kristaps’s ceiling is encouraging and the youth infused into the Mavs gives them some stability in starting and reserve roles. In my Dennis Smith Jr article I commented on the serious need for Mavs to get scorers. While they have obtained some, the question will remain of how efficient they can be. This year, we’ve seen Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews become better 3 point shooters, but, both have converted fewer buckets that aren’t threes.

Unlike Dennis Smith, Hardaway and Lee are both primarily off ball scorers. This should be good for the development of the team and for Luka as he works on being the team’s primary ball handler. Now as for Dennis….

Home/Dallas Mavericks