The Wizards had three losses in four games in the offseason, but Kristaps Porzingis appeared in three games, averaging 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.0 in 19.7 minutes. blocked shots and 1.0 turnovers. Liepājnieks hit 53.3% of two-point shots (8/15), 35.7% of long-range shots (5/14) and 93.3% of free throws (14/15).
“I’ve worked a lot on my body this summer – I’ve put in a lot of work. And I always have. When you are injured, it breaks your spirit a little – say, I am injured again, but then I understand that there is no choice anymore, and I continue to work.
I’m still young, I still have a lot of time ahead of me. I think my body is maturing and I think I have found the recipe for feeling my best on the field. I don’t need too much strength, too much muscle mass. I need to get stronger, but I don’t need to get huge – it doesn’t help the movement, it doesn’t improve the feeling on the pitch. Hopefully a little luck will come along to help you get back on track.
I think I am more experienced now than when I started my career. I hope I can prove it this season,”
The 27-year-old Porzingis is quoted SportsNet New York.
Porzingis has become more experienced not only in how he wants to see his body, but also in how to act in other situations. The fourth pick in the 2015 draft did not hide a little regret about how he left New York at the beginning of 2019, ending up in Dallas after a trade request.
“It’s hard to say, but looking back now, I think we definitely could have done something differently. Now I am older, wiser and I understand what happened then and that it could have been done differently. I think that at that time we could have acted differently. Some people advised us not to say anything publicly and focus on Dallas, so that’s what we did at the time. However, if only one side’s opinion is known, then it is the truth.
We should have said something then. Now it is already in the past – as it was, it was. It wasn’t the best way to handle that situation, but everyone makes mistakes.”
said Porzingis, who admitted he enjoyed playing at Madison Square Garden.
Porzingis played 186 games for the Knicks and averaged 17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 assists and 1.8 turnovers. After requesting a trade, Porzingis, still nursing a cruciate ligament injury, was traded along with Trey Burke, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway to the Mavericks, who parted with DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith and two first-round picks.
In Dallas, the Latvian played 134 games, averaging 20.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 fouls, and was traded to the Washington Wizards in February this year, in this deal When Dāvis Bertāns also arrived in Dallas.
The Washington Wizards open the season Thursday night at the Indiana Pacers, and Porzingis is expected to be ready to return. Away games against the Knicks are scheduled for the nights of January 19 and April 3.
