So much chatter has cropped up about whether the Mavericks are at their best with a more traditional lineup that includes two big men or if they would be better served with Kristaps Porzingis as the only true center/power forward on the floor.
Porzingis, almost in unison with Jason Kidd, has a simple response.
Why can’t the Mavericks have it both ways?
“I think we’re getting more comfortable with both lineups – with me at the 4 and also with me as the 5 as the only big,” Porzingis said after pouring in 29 points and pulling down 11 rebounds on Monday in the 111-101 win over Denver. “We’re getting more and more comfortable playing this way.”
“This way” is having a versatile team that can play different styles. It’s a formula for the entire Mavericks’ organization. Diversity rules.
And for the Mavericks to embrace that on the court is essential, given the makeup of their team.
They don’t call Porzingis the Unicorn for no reason. He is unique in that he can stretch defenses like nobody else. Maybe even better – or at least farther from the basket – than Dirk Nowitzki did when he was at his 3-point shooting best.
So what’s the difference when Porzingis is on the floor with Dwight Powell (or Maxi Kleber, when he returns or Willie Cauley-Stein or Boban Marjanovic in situational stretches) as opposed to when he’s the only Maverick on the floor taller than 6-7?
Basically, when Powell is on the floor, Porzingis is more of a 3-point threat. He defers to Powell, who has terrific rim-attacking ability on the pick-and-roll with Luka Dončić. Porzingis spends more time on the weak side and at the 3-point line.
When he’s the only big man, he can post up and defenses have to play completely differently.
“It gives us room offensively and defensively, he can protect the rim for us,” Kidd said of Porzingis as the center. “When teams are switching, he can roll down. If teams don’t switch, he can pop and he becomes not just a shooter but a playmaker.”
But Kidd stressed it’s not going to be a steady diet of Porzingis as the only big man on the court.
“When you look at KP at the five, we don’t want to have him out there for 40 minutes at the five,” Kidd said. “For the journey of the season, that’s just too many minutes at the five. So for us to get him at the five tonight (against Denver) was good and we’ll continue to get him in at the five.”
Porzingis has said he’s comfortable in either alignment. But he took measures in the offseason to be more prepared to work as the team’s center.
“I’m a little heavier this season, I’m feeling stronger this season, definitely,” he said. “And I’m not using as much energy anymore. It’s more natural now. I’ll try to keep the weight on throughout the season and that way I don’t have to use as much energy in those one-on-one situations (in the post).”
And occasionally, neither Powell nor Porzingis will be on the court, which is what happened to start the fourth quarter against Denver when the Mavericks took the lead for good.
Dorian Finney-Smith, all 6-7 of him, was the center.
“We call him Big Doe,” Porzingis said. “Whoever was out there, we played hard and tried to bring something.”
Briefly: The Mavericks will be on the road for the next four games, starting Wednesday at Phoenix. They also play the Suns on Friday before going to Los Angeles for two games against the Clippers. The Suns are second in the Western Conference at 10-3 and the Clippers recently won seven in a row . . . Porzingis said the late-game rally for the Mavericks over the Nuggets was something that they were hoping would happen. But you can never count on it with an elite team like Denver. “It was one of those games that we knew they were coming off a back-to-back and we just had to grind it out and push them physically,” he said. “But they’re a great team. They hung in there. It was a good win for us.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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