While his stance on other mythical creatures is unclear, Mark Cuban still very much believes in The Unicorn.
The Dallas Mavericks owner spoke with reporters this week and defended big man Kristaps Porzingis, who received heavy criticism amid the team’s first-round playoff exit this season.
“I think [Porzingis] has been unfairly maligned,” said Cuban, per Tim Cato of The Athletic. “He did exactly what was asked of him in the postseason.”
The former All-Star Porzingis did still manage to flirt with a 20-10 average during the regular season. But his poor fit in the offense became apparent in the playoffs, as his numbers dipped to just 13.1 points per game on subpar shooting splits of 47.2 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three. Porzingis didn’t help his case either by often appearing to be disengaged on both ends of the floor.
Cuban seems to be hinting however that Porzingis’ diminished production may have been the result of the Mavs’ postseason gameplan against the LA Clippers. In any case, Porzingis will have a new head coach in Jason Kidd to work with next season. He also seems determined to silence all the critics.
