What happens to Kristaps Porzingis at the Dallas Mavericks? If the new General Manager Nico Harrison has his way, the Latvian will have more opportunities in the coming season. The Mavs GM has great confidence in head coach Jason Kidd in this matter.
“I’m looking forward to Kristaps,” said the new GM of the Dallas Mavericks of Kristaps Porzingis Shan and RJ on 105.3 The Fan. “He’s finally healthy and I think Jason Kidd can help him with his leadership and communication. He will thrive in Jason’s new system, I’m sure.”
Harrison also emphasized once again that Porzingis and Luka Doncic would complement each other well on the field. “A lot of people think Dallas was eliminated because of Kristaps, but he just did what he was told. He’s a team player and we’re going to put him in situations where he can be successful.”
Porzingis still has a contract in Dallas until 2024 and still collects around $ 103 million in that time, with the last year including a player option. In the playoffs, the Latvian put on only 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds with odds of 47.2 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from downtown.
Mavs-GM Harrison: That’s the plan with Luka Doncic
Another persona for the moment is that of Igor Kokoskov. The former coach of the Phoenix Suns is to become part of Kidd’s coaching staff, but the Serb is still under contract with Fenerbahce as head coach. According to Harrison, negotiations are under way, but Kokoskov is not said to be the only candidate.
Kokoskov is said to have a good relationship with franchise star Luka Doncic. As head coach of the Slovenes, the 49-year-old sensationally led the small country to the European Championship title in 2017, when 18-year-old Doncic was already there.
Harrison also repeated Coach Kidd’s idea that Doncic should hold the ball less in his hands in the coming season. “If he’s less on the ball early on in games, that’s a good thing. In the end, he has to have the ball, nobody can do that better than him, but if he has to do it for the entire game, it’ll pull you.”
For Harrison, the job of General Manger is uncharted territory. The 48-year-old previously worked for Nike in the marketing department for many years.
