Mavericks Playing Kristaps Porzingis Major Minutes After Long-Term Injury is Already Hurting Them

When you hand out a max contract in the NBA, the notion attached is that you believe that player can one day lead you to a championship. When the Mavericks did so with Kristaps Porzingis, many were skeptical considering the fact that the big man was still in the process of returning from a torn ACL. The team later double down on their investment the Latvian star, electing to give him heavy minutes right out of the gate in October.

With KP set to miss yet another contest with soreness in his right knee -- not the one with the repaired ACL, thankfully -- one has to wonder whether the Mavs are overworking their young star.

With averages of 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, Porzingis has shaken off a lot of the rust from earlier in the season, helping to carry his team to victories over the title-contending Bucks and the Lakers. While he has looked great to this point, his durability remains a concern, particularly given the lack of depth on Dallas' roster behind himself and Luka Doncic. For a team pushing for a high seed in the Western Conference, overworking the two most talented players on their roster is already back to bite the Mavericks.

Fortunately for the fans in Big D, Porzingis is expected to return sooner rather than later, but his long-term durability surely remains an uncomfortable question.

While it appears that KP has avoided a major injury scare for now, the Mavericks should heed these recent incidents as a cue to embrace load management here and now. Doing so could only benefit both player and team in the long term as they chase an NBA title.