Washington Wizards: how Kristaps Porzingis has played a third of the way through the season

Kristaps Porzingis has had a roller coaster of an NBA career, from being booed by fans on draft night, to being an All-Star for the New York Knicks. He’s been through ACL tears and being reduced to a glorified role player on a team featuring one of the best players in the world. Now he is playing the best basketball of his career for the Washington Wizards.

It’s safe to say that Kristaps Porzingis has a unique story in the NBA, very similar to how he plays. He has earned his nickname the unicorn for a reason. He is a seven-foot three power forward who can also slide over to the five with the ability to shoot from 30 feet out and play high level defense when he’s feeling healthy.

There is very little weakness in his game. The only thing holding him back from being a top five player in the world was a lack of development while he played for the Dallas Mavericks following his ACL tear in 2018.

Now that he is on the Wizards and is back to leading a team, Porzingis has not disappointed. He is back to averaging similar numbers to what he put up in his lone All-Star season. He is averaging 22.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 blocks, and nearly a steal per game. He is the definition of filling the stat sheet.

The only thing missing from his All-Star resume this season is the wins to support his play. Unfortunately, the Wizards have really disappointed to start the season and haven’t been able to put up wins consistently. This is most definitely not due to the play of Porzingis, however.

Kristaps Porzingis has earned himself a rating of A+ due to his elite play.

Kristaps Porzingis has been far and away the best player on the Washington Wizards this season. He is one of the better defensive players on the roster while also being the most well-rounded scorer. He is also distributing the ball really well since the injury to Bradley Beal.

If the Wizards decide to go forward by building around the towering, big man, nobody will argue. He has been nothing short of excellent this season, especially when comparing him to other players on the roster.