Kristaps Porzingis made his debut for the Wizards and went his vintage self to show why he is “The Unicorn”.
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One of the biggest shockers of the mid-season trade last month was the Dallas Mavericks choosing to send Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
As both Dinwiddie and Bertans struggled to find their footing in Washington this season, it didn’t make much sense. But the former Nets point guard has scored at an average of over 22 points for Mavs, helping them to a 5-1 record since his debut.
Meanwhile, Porzingis was still due to suit up for the Wizards. There were talks of shutting KP for the rest of the season, but the 2018 All-Star finally made his debut for his new ball club on Sunday.
Kristaps Porzingis amazes NBA Twitter on his debut
As the Washington Wizards took on the Indiana Pacers in the Capital One Arena, The Unicorn was in the starting lineup after missing 14-games of action in total for both his present and former clubs due to knee injury.
His minutes were restricted, but that couldn’t stop him from putting up 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in just over 21 minutes of action. He went 7/12 from the field and 3/4 from downtown helping Wizards to get a win with a scoreline of 133-123.
Play of the game: Deni Avdija finds Kristaps Porzingis for an emphatic alley-oop. Great early signs from their two-man game. Lots of potential. pic.twitter.com/diyYhrE4ck
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) March 7, 2022
Kyle Kuzma and NBA Twitter did not forget to shower KP with praises after the game.
Kyle Kuzma on 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis draining 3s
“There’s a reason they call him the unicorn, he’s a hell of a player.”
— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) March 7, 2022
Wizards get their first glimpse of Kristaps Porzingis and like what they see https://t.co/Mb7b91tgOi
— Wizards Insider (@WizardsInsider) March 7, 2022
As a mavs fan, I’m happy for KP. This is what he was meant to be. Enjoy your 7’3 laser beam
— Kawamatsu (@s7krd) March 7, 2022
The real Latvian Laser @kporzee https://t.co/y5FpOoJGcA
— Washington get a chip 🏆 (@DCgetaRing) March 7, 2022
Bradley Beal joined the party as well.
— My Divas call me Tin 👑 (@TinmanModelKing) March 7, 2022
Having a 29-34 record and sitting at 11th in the East, the Wizards would look to finish the season strong. With 19 games remaining and KP at their helm, they would want to finish at least one spot above where they are now.