{"id":80374,"date":"2024-06-05T10:59:42","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T14:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=80374"},"modified":"2024-06-05T11:00:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T15:00:18","slug":"porzingis-health-could-decide-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/05\/porzingis-health-could-decide-finals\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Former Wizard’s Health Could Decide Who Wins the Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NBA Finals are about to begin, and they’re so many storylines to pay attention to. There’s Kyrie Irving<\/a> facing the Celtics, Jason Kidd<\/a> having been a part of the Nets trading away the picks that became Jaylen Brown<\/a> and Jayson Tatum<\/a>, and so much more. However, in an ironic twist, one of the league’s most currently irrelevant teams traded a player to the Celtics whose injury status could determine the winner of the 2024 NBA Finals. That player is Kristaps Porzingis<\/a>, and his health could decide the 2024 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

How a Former Wizard’s Health Could Decide Who Wins the NBA Finals<\/h2>\n

The 7’3″ Porzingis is 28 years old, and was first drafted in 2015 by the Knicks. While fans initially hated the pick, Porzingis grew on them, with his great shot blocking and ability to stretch the floor by knocking down threes. After an injury in 2018 where he tore his ACL and missed the whole season, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks…the very team that he will be playing in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

Porzingis’ Health and Role in Dallas<\/h3>\n

Porzingis pairing with Luka Doncic<\/a> wasn’t ideal in Dallas. In two and a half seasons, his numbers blossomed with the team. However, his role in the half-court offense confined his play, as the team ran through Luka. He also faced injuries<\/a>, such as a knee injury throughout early 2020, and a back injury in 2021. Ultimately, he was traded to the Wizards at the 2022 trade deadline.<\/p>\n

One storyline leading up to this year’s finals has been the history of Doncic and Porzingis. Some fans have wondered if there will be any ill-will on the court between them, and players such as Chandler Parsons<\/a> have spoken to this theory. However, Doncic later disputed that claim.<\/p>\n

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Luka had to set the record straight \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n

(via @RunItBackFDTV<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/JvwiIkMbbZ<\/a><\/p>\n

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n