The allure of Kristaps Porzingis is simple: the rim protection of a traditional center combined with elite 3-point shooting to stretch defenses. It’s why he was dubbed the Unicorn early in his career. With his unique skillset, Porzingis could cause matchup problems with almost any team, pulling opposing centers out to the 3-point line to open up space for Luka Doncic drives. All this without sacrificing defense in the paint on the other end. It’s why the Mavericks traded so many assets to acquire Porzingis.
The reality, though, has been something different. More and more, opposing teams are putting a wing on Porzingis and tasking their center with guarding either Dorian Finney-Smith or Maxi Kleber.