The Necessity for Porzingis on the Court Comes with a Price
Kristaps Porzingis provides invaluable talent for the Knicks, but his increased role may be harmful for his overall development
Here’s an interesting statistic: as of December 16, Porzingis difference for on-off court offensive rating is +5.5. Carmelo Anthony’s number is -1.9 (per BBall_Ref).
Saturday’s win in Portland to somewhat salvage a disastrous road trip left Knicks fans pleased with Anthony’s performance. ‘Melo provided the impetus of the offense with 37 points on 13–21 shooting. However, one of the biggest stories in the aftermath of the victory was the rookie, who tallied his first NBA game without a point.
You can say he has hit the rookie “wall,” he is tired from the road trip, or that it was expected him to regress one of these days. Any explanation is alright, really, but don’t expect Porzingis to play 35+ minutes per game, even if he is the best player on the team.
In order to extrapolate the most from Porzingis, the Knicks shouldn’t play him substantial minutes. This is a difficult idea to fully grasp because there are numerous times during games where KP plays like the best guy on the court.
In Portland, Porzingis did not record a single point. Although this may seem alarming, fans shouldn’t look too much into the rough night for the rookie. The Knicks, along with KP, are still figuring out how to best utilize his talents. Sometimes, teammates would find Porzingis in spots he wasn’t comfortable in or in post-up opportunities instead of running plays that freed KP up for knocking down jumpers.
Kristaps has a mightily strong instinct for basketball but, nevertheless, he’s still a rookie. Both him and his teammates are learning everyday in practice and during games the moment when he’s confident or vulnerable. I’ve personally been most impressed by his defensive prowess. We were continually explained that KP would be pushed around on that end, batted down, and bullied. This is simply not true.
Essentially, Porzingis has proven he has really intelligent feelings for the game and on defense, he always has one foot in the paint if anyone dare challenges “His Tallness.”
The rookie “wall” is an imaginary concept we concoct to bring our draftees’ upside back down to Earth. For Kristaps, his propensity for double-doubles and Vine-worthy dunks usually lead to jump-off-your-couch moments. But, more importantly, I’m telling you this kid can anchor a defense and he’ll need time to adjust to the NBA’s grueling schedule.
Another issue Porzingis faces: while he continues to add body weight he’ll have to learn to adjust with his energy and fatigue. The Latvian has specialized meals and diets since New York has drafted him. Exhibiting a strict diet during the season while cultivating mass can change how Porzingis is used to his body and energy on the basketball court. Don’t be too worried that he’s tired on a road trip after playing more minutes in his young, professional career.
Porzingis is playing more attention closer to the rim than he did in the Spanish League. Instead of hanging around the perimeter, he’s making an effort to box out defenders and grab boards for the Knicks. His versatility–whether he’s in the paint or not–will prove quite useful because, depending on the matchup, he could draw big men outside their comfort zones. Or, Porzingis could flex his muscles and rebound over weaker power forwards.
Regardless of his position on the court, Kristaps has fluctuating weight along with the greatest amount of minutes he has ever played against the best players in the world. He faces this dilemma on an almost nightly basis.
Keep in mind the new, drastic challenges Porzingis deals with while he develops into the Knicks’ first home-grown franchise player since Patrick Ewing.
