Even if he doesn't release anything really juicy, the conversation between Kristaps Porzingis and JJ Redick on the Latvian's move to Dallas is quite interesting, especially between the lines.
Arriving injured in Texas in January 2019, the first “unicorn” was to form the duo of the future with Luka Doncic.
A role poorly defined by Rick Carlisle?
But three years later, he was traded to the Wizards (against David Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie), his association with the Slovenian not having produced much, except two eliminations in the first round of the playoffs…
“It’s a mixture of many things. It’s a big mix” smiles Kristaps Porzingis today on this failure in Dallas. “Maturity, for sure, and talking about the things I could have done differently. And then I wasn't really into advanced stats and numbers. If only someone had, at this point in my career, presented things the right way. 'This is what we have to do. This is what is expected of you. This is how you will be more efficient. If things had been explained to me better, it would probably have made a difference. »
At the time, Rick Carlisle repeated that Kristaps Porzingis was not effective in the low post, and that is why he used him as a “catch-and-shooter”. But perhaps the Latvian was too immature to hear it.
JJ Redick, who spent a few months in Dallas with the European duo, relates an interesting anecdote about the dynamic of Rick Carlisle with his two young stars.
The importance of dynamics
In Memphis, as he takes out Luka Doncic during a time-out, the Slovenian grumbles, gets annoyed under his breath and walks away from the group. The coach then asks the remaining players to stop behaving “like babies”. Kristaps Porzingis was surprised that his coach did not say it directly to Luka Doncic, who had moved away. Rick Carlisle then shouts at the latter to also stop behaving like a baby…
Overall, we understand that Kristaps Porzingis was annoyed with his role in the Dallas attack, like this final series of playoffs against the Clippers, where he was reduced to the role of shooter in the “corner” .
“The roles must be clear” he concludes. “It’s important that the dynamic is good, on and off the field. Honestly, it's not that hard, after a certain age. When you're young, you want to prove this or that. But when we get older, we tell ourselves that we only want to win, that we are ready to do anything to achieve it. It's not that hard. We complicate it when egos get involved, but it's just a matter of simplifying things. »
