THIS ISN'T WHAT Kristaps Porzingis expected when he arrived in Dallas.
As the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade, he anticipated forming one of the NBA's most potent duos with Luka Doncic, a fellow rising star. Porzingis anticipated it'd be a 1A-1B sort of situation.
Doncic has certainly held up his end of that deal. At age 22, he'll soon become a two-time All-NBA selection, and he just averaged 35.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the second playoff series of his career.
But that happened in a losing effort, as the Dallas Mavericks fell to the LA Clippers in a seven-game series in which one of the most prominent storylines was how little Dallas relied on Porzingis, who has battled injuries and adapted to a secondary role over the last two seasons.