Dallas Mavs Ex Kristaps Porzingis Admits 'Feeling Spiteful' for Reduced Role in 2021 Playoffs

Boston Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis revealed some truth to his time with the Dallas Mavericks, including the last straw that was the 2021 first-round series against the Clippers.

When the Dallas Mavericks made a huge splash by trading for Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis in Feb. 2019, the thought was that he would form a formidable duo with Luka Doncic for the foreseeable future. 

Despite showing some promise along the way, the star duo only lasted two and a half seasons and had two first-round playoff exits to show for it.

On the latest episode of The Old Man and the Three with JJ Redick & Tommy Alter, Porzingis spoke with Redick on his career and his time in Dallas, including his play during the 2021 first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Honestly, reflecting back on it, I should have said 'OK… this is what you want, I will do that to the best of my ability,'" Porzingis said. "But at that point still, I was a little bit young and I was like doing it out of spite like 'oh, on purpose I won't move from this corner'… like that kind of mindset, and it was not correct.'"

Mavs’ Kristaps Porzingis goes up for a shot against Clippers’ Terance Mann / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

At the time, Porzingis was unhappy with his role, as former Mavs coach Rick Carlisle had limited his touches and overall usage within the offense. For the series, Porzingis' role on offense had been relegated to being primarily a spot-up shooter in the corner to create space for Doncic to operate. 

"Of course, I played hard and gave everything on defense, but a little bit of that was creeping up on me," Porzingis said. "And it's not a good feeling to play with. … You can of course find a thousand reasons or a thousand excuses and blame it on something else, but I could have done a better job that series.”

Simply put, the Porzingis era in Dallas didn't work out as planned, which is a bummer for both sides considering what the ceiling was. However, it appears both sides are now better off for breaking up when they did.

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