When Kristaps Porzingis was first drafted, nobody like him had ever been seen in the NBA before.
The combination of someone of his height and blocking ability being able to drain threes from the logo had New York Knicks fans convinced he would be the franchise player for years to come.
Standing 7ft 3 ins tall, his skillset was considered so unique that they dubbed him 'The Unicorn' and Porzingis showed steady improvement during his three years playing for the Knicks, upping his scoring from around 14.3 points per game to 22.7 ppg, as blocks increased from 1.8 to 2.4.
Fast forward to now, though, and he is still trying to fully make an impact for the Dallas Mavericks having been traded there over two years ago.
Part for the reason for that – and it remains one of the big question marks with Porzingis – is his health. After sitting out the 2018-19 season before and after being traded, he played just 57 regular season games his first season, and then only 43 last season.
Although his scoring average remained above 20 ppg in both campaigns, his blocks per game took a noticeable dip from 2.0 in his first season to 1.3 last year as he struggled with his conditioning and health.
Signs are though, that the 26-year-old may finally be finding his feet again and since bouncing back from another injury recently (back soreness, he missed five games) he has looked very much back to his best. In those seven games, Dallas has had four of their best offensive games of the season and three of their best defensive displays, per CleaningTheGlass.com.
Since his return, he is averaging 22.8 ppg, 9.2 rebounds per game, 1.3 blocks per game, and 2.6 assists per game (well above his career average of 1.5 apg) while shooting 39.5 percent from deep. Historically, these are numbers that only Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki or Karl Anthony-Towns could manage chalk up over the course of a full season, when factoring in the volume of three-point attempts.
He has also shot over 50 percent from the field in four of the last five games. The curve is upwards, and particularly with Luka Doncic missing right now through injury, the onus is on Dallas' second man to deliver for his team.
Survive or thrive without Luka?
Draining threes:
In the 2019-20 season when the Mavericks produced a historically great offensive rating to lead the league, Porzingis shot over seven tries from distance every game. Currently, the Mavericks are attempting 38.9 threes per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA, and are hitting on 34 percent to sit joint 18th in the league.
Porzingis' three-point percentage for the season so far is now bang on his career average of 36.1 percent. Considering that he started the season just 4-of-17, that has very much been buffed up by his recent improved performances.
Bear in mind, though, he can shoot the ball from far deeper than even Nowitzki could at his three-point shooting best, so particularly when playing alongside one of the league's best playmakers in Doncic, having Porzingis able to consistently drain the long ball will have a massive influence on just how high the ceiling of this Mavericks team is.
Perhaps this spell without Luka could be a blessing in disguise on the pathway to KP figuring it all out.
Protecting the rim:
This is the area which saw the biggest improvement to start this season but also the one which could still improve the most in the long-term.
He will never be the league's best interior defender but Porzingis seems to have his lateral movement back, and with it have returned his shot-blocking and ability to trouble the opposition within the paint.
To start the season, Dallas had a 104.0 defensive rating and sat just outside the top ten with Porzingis in the team, but it has regressed towards just below the league average in more recent games.
Key to getting it right on the defensive end is ensuring he's healthy, improving his footwork and movement when defending and continuing to work on his defensive IQ so that he can more acutely anticipate situations.
This is another area which could be key in the long run. If Porzingis can improve his defense inside, it would allow Dallas to take even more advantage on the other end – and if they can get back to anything like the offensive production of two years ago, then this team will be a genuine title threat.
Improving offense in the post:
One of the biggest criticisms of Porzingis' game is his relative inability, compared to his size, to score when posting up. He has actually finished fewer possessions per game in the post this season than last season (3.4 this season, 3.7 last season) but this is an area where Jason Kidd feels he can get more out of the Latvian.
Partly, this is because of Porzingis being more willing to pass out of the post when he is unable to get a good look, leading to a career-high 2.0 assists per game across the season so far and even higher in the past seven games.
Often though, he finds entry passes being stolen or he is forced towards the three-point line to end up shooting a difficult shot (step-back turnaround jumper anyone?). These are not good looks. Key to ensuring that this does not happen is identifying who indeed is a mismatch. Marcus Smart and Jrue Holiday, for example, are not mismatches for Porzingis because despite the height differential players such as those two have the various necessary attributes to defend longer forwards in the post.
If Porzingis can improve on his scoring in the post, again, this would provide another massive go-to option for the Mavericks offense when Luka Doncic is not on the floor.
How and where to deploy The Unicorn:
This has been a subject of much debate.
In terms of the differential between Mavericks lineups with Porzingis at power forward and center, the different is stark, particularly offensively.
When he plays on his own (as he has done on 53 percent of his minutes this year) Dallas has an offensive rating of of 112.4, which ranks sixth in the league. When another big has been on the floor alongside Porzingis, Dallas has posted an offensive rating of 93.5, well below the league's worst team Houston, which ranks at 98.0.
On the other side of the ball, the Mavericks are one of the worst teams in the league defensively with Porzingis deployed as the only big, and are near league average when he plays with another big. It's a case of pick your poison.
What Kidd and Porzingis say:
Finding the best of both worlds is very much the focus for both head coach Jason Kidd and the player himself.
"I think we're getting more comfortable with both lineups – with me at the four and also with me as the five as the only big," Porzingis said after his 29 point, 11 rebound double-double in the win against Denver earlier this week.
"We're getting more and more comfortable playing this way."
By this way, he means a versatile offense with more wrinkles tailored to the personnel who are on the floor at that point.
When Dwight Powell plays, Porzingis defers to him as the chief roll man for Doncic and spends his time more near the three-point line.
When he's at center, the onus is on him to be more successful in the post and at the other end as the rim protector.
"It gives us room offensively and defensively, he can protect the rim for us," said Kidd, talking about Porzingis as the five.
"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.
"When you look at KP at the five, we don't want to have him out there for 40 minutes at the five. For the journey of the season, that's just too many minutes at the five (but) we'll continue to get him in at the five (over the season)."
Porzingis admitted he's bulked up to help him with match-ups against some of the league's bulkier and more brutish centers.
He said: "I'm a little heavier this season, I'm feeling stronger this season, definitely. 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)."
The Unicorn can dictate Dallas' ceiling
It's clear that Porzingis, a one-time All Star back in 2018, is vital for Dallas moving forward.
It's unclear right now what the trade market would be for him and there are doubts as to what level of value Dallas would get back. For that reason, unlocking his potential within this team becomes vital for both parties.
For Porzingis, alongside Doncic, this may provide the best chance he will get at ever winning a championship. As a primary initiator to take you over the top, they don't come much better than the Slovenian.
But if Porzingis can work on ensuring that his movement is better when defending, keep playing with plenty of effort and hustle, continue to improve when attacking in the post and shoot the three ball nearer a 40 percent clip for the rest of the season, then he – and this Dallas team – can be very good.