In appreciation of Kristaps Porzingis dunking like a monster

It’s surprising that I’m writing this. I don’t like Kristaps Porzingis’ game. I think he’s ineffective and doesn’t understand who he is as a player. He’s in love with bad shots because he thinks those bad shots are what superstars take. I want the Dallas Mavericks to move on from him.

But man, when Porzingis dunks the basketball like he’s sending it straight to the Earth’s core, it’s so much fun to watch.

When Porzingis gets some runway space and launches into the air, then tomahawk dunks the ball like the rim insulted his entire family, it makes me kind of like him. Just a little.

Look at this dunk:

Porzingis takes off from the free throw circle, ball cocked behind his head, ready to throw it down. Jarrett Allen, with his beautiful, courageous soul, decides to challenge the attempt. Good for him. No business decisions for Jarrett.

But he didn’t have a chance of blocking that Porzingis dunk. Kristaps had too much momentum, too much anger, too much fire in his belly. Allen meant to stop an opponent from scoring. Porzingis wanted to dunk a black hole into the American Airlines Center.

Now look at this one. Much different. It doesn’t have the world-ending lava of the previous dunk. It’s more smooth, like going from Killswitch Engage to Kenny G.

It’s odd to see a man so big and lanky move like that. So yeah, the dunk itself isn’t intense, but the silky jazz of Porzingis floating through the lane and then depositing the ball for two points is worth watching again and again.

Now check out this one:

It’s like a combo of the first two dunks. Porzingis slips the screen and rolls to the basket, collects the pass from Luka, hop steps, and throws it down. It’s a little effortless and a little strong. It’s perfect.

Last one:

The ease of that dunk. A 7’3 man shouldn’t be able to cut and levitate like that. And yet he does. Just ignore how he lands on one foot.

These Porzingis dunks are what makes basketball beautiful. Being able to watch freak athletes do impossible things is incredibly fun. It’s spectacular enough to make me forget about all the bad shots, for a few seconds at a time. I like that.