NBA Today: Top 5 European players in the league right now

#4 Kristaps Porzingis

Porzingis, formerly of the New York Knicks, joined the Mavs in a big trade earlier this year

The Dallas Mavericks recently acquired Latvian star Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks - he plays at both the power forward and center positions. One of the league's tallest players, he stands at 7 ft 3 in and is 23-years-old.

Another Mavericks star to emerge from Liga ACB, Kristaps began his professional basketball career with Sevilla and too made his senior debut in 2012. He became the youngest player to win the EuroCup Rising Star award back in 2015.

That same year, Porzingis declared himself for the NBA Draft in 2015 and was selected with the fourth pick of the first round by the Knicks. He finished second behind Karl-Anthony Towns in the Rookie of the Year award race and was named in the All-NBA Rookie First Team, scoring 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 assists per game.

Kristaps was named for the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve in 2018, but on February 6 he sustained a torn ACL and consequently sidelined for the season. They decided against extending his rookie contract and traded him to Dallas earlier this year, before he signed a five-year $158m deal earlier this month. Pairing alongside Doncic, they could form a strong partnership and lead the Mavs to glory long-term.