WASHINGTON D.C. – Former 4th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Kristaps Porzingis, has been on a tear recently for the Washington Wizards, having one of his best seasons statistically.
Early in his career, he was doubted by many, including the ruthless New York Knicks fans, which was where he started out. The skepticism came even before he touched the floor for the Knicks as fans have never even heard of the 7’3” Latvian before.
These same negative feelings only continued after not living up to the lofty expectations in his rookie year where he averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
In his next two seasons with the Knicks, he began to pick it up and was having the best season of his young career when he tore his ACL 48 games into the 2017-2018 season causing him to miss the 2018-2019 season as well.
On January 31st, 2019, the Mavericks, who were currently rebuilding, sent New York Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and two future first-round draft picks in exchange for Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke, and Courtney Lee.
Porzingis made his return in some new threads, 25 games into the season.
Although he didn’t look like pre-ACL injury Porzingis, he still went right to work averaging just over 20 PPG for his first two seasons in Dallas, including 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in his first season.
Then, just 34 games into the 2021-22 season, Porzingis was moved once again to the Washington Wizards, another team in the midst of a rebuild. The former All-Star was traded alongside a protected 2022 second-round pick in return for guard Spencer Dinwiddie and forward Dāvis Bertāns.
Since, Porzingis has slowly been returning to his 2017-18 form as he averaged 22.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks last year and is currently averaging 21.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks this season.
Last night, Porzingis had the best game of his career so far putting up 41 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in a 142-127 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He was also very efficient, shooting 12-18 from the field, 6-10 from three, and 11-11 from the line.
The big man has been on a tear of late for Washington, who are currently 11-10, putting up 23.5 points per game over his last 10 appearances. Kristaps will look to continue his strong performance tomorrow night against a talented Nets team.
