Although many thought that Kristaps Porzingis did not work out in Dallas because he did not get along with Luka Doncic, he and Doncic have also insisted that this is not the case.
Now, as these two European talents face off in the NBA Finals, Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. talked about what he felt was the real problem with Porzingis and Doncic.
“For the most part, they didn't even have that much playing time together,” Hardaway told GQ Sports.
“I think the injury had an impact on what could have happened, but off the court and on the court, KP and Luka, they were always talking. There were always laughs and stuff, but in the end they competed again.”
Porzingis was traded from New York to Dallas in January 2019, but did not start for the Mavericks until October 2019, as he was still recovering from his ACL injury at the time of the trade.
But injuries resurfaced in the playoffs, when Porzingis suffered a torn meniscus during Dallas' first-round series against the Clippers, the Mavericks went on a six-game losing streak.
Porzingis played 143 games for Dallas over three seasons and was traded to Washington in February 2022 in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
But he has found a home in Boston and was good in Game 1 of The Finals despite not being completely healthy. Porzingis was seen playing in pain in Game 2 on Sunday but said he will definitely play in Game 3.
READ MORE: NBA World reacts to Kristaps Porzingis and Celtics cooking Mavs in Game 1
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