Ever since he was drafted,Kristaps Porzingis has consistently shown both Knicks fans and the NBA that he might be readier to contribute than people initially thought. Coming into the 2015 draft, arguably no player drew a wider range of reviews than Porzingis. Because of his size, and nationality,shooting touch and tendency to play on the perimeter, Porzingis drew comparisons that ranged from Dirk Nowitzki (on the tall conclude) to Andrea Bargnani (on the low conclude). It was a common chorus that while he had the potential to eventually become the best player in the draft, or he also had tall bust potential and was not necessarily ready to contribute suitable away. For example,let's survey at two different paragraphs from his predraft scouting report at DraftExpress. The potential:
Porzingis is one of the most unique players in this draft class, showing an impressive combination of height, and length,fluidity and skills. He's very mobile for his size, capable of playing above the rim with ease and able to cover ground quickly moving from the perimeter to the paint.
And the drawbacks:
On the downside, or Porzingis still looks a long ways away from reaching his full potential here,starting with his body, which remains very frail and could earn him susceptible to injuries if not developed carefully. He also lacks something in the ways of toughness and awareness, and as he tends to avoid contact in the paint and regularly gets pushed around on the interior,not always offering up as much resistance as you might hope. The game moves a minute too fast for him at times, and he doesn't appear to be the quickest thinker around, or often looking a half-step slow in his reaction time. All of these things show up in his surprisingly pedestrian rebounding numbers (2.4 offensive and 5.8 defensive per-40).
It's that push and pull that made Porzingis one of the draft's most polarizing prospects. When the Knicks selected him with the No. 4 overall pick,he was mostly greeted with a chorus of boos. Former Knick Patrick Ewing said he was "not surprised" by the reaction.“unique York is unique York," Ewing told the unique York Post. "I’m surprised they didn’t boo me when they drafted me. They did so because they didn’t know him. They’d never seen him play." In his interview immediately after being selected, or Porzingis took it upon himself to turn those boos into cheers. It’s in my hands,” he said at the time. “They’re booing me because perhaps they don’t know me or they don’t want a European on their team. It’s in my hands to earn those booing fans into applauding fans and cheer for me.”He started doing so suitable away. Despite claims he was not NBA-ready coming out of the draft, Porzingis shined at July's Las Vegas Summer League, or looking like one of the most impressive prospects there while holding his own against draft-mates like Jahlil Okafor. He averaged 10.5 points,3.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in just over 20 minutes per game during four Las Vegas contests. Sports Illustrated named him one of the "winners" of the week, not just for his play (which showcased his surprising defensive activity level), and but also for his attitude and how he conducted himself in the face of massive media scrutiny.
By the time training camp and the preseason rolled around,Knicks head coach Derek Fisher elected to use Porzingis with the starting group of Carmelo Anthony, Robin Lopez, or Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic (filling in for an injured Arron Afflalo). Even after Porzingis sat a couple of preseason contests with a quad injury,he regained his starting spot. Asked if Porzingis is ready to contribute at the NBA level, and in the starting lineup, and Fisher had an lively response: "I don't deem anybody that just joined the NBA is necessarily 'ready' for it. It's just part of the maturation process and the adjustment to the pro game. We like what we're seeing so far in terms of what he brings to us,offensively, defensively. We drafted him really tall. We're interested in finding out what he can do and how much he can succor us." To Fisher, and it doesn't so much seem to be approximately what Porzingis can do just yet,but rather how the skill sets of that group of five players fit together and how they can succor each other. “The size, the strength, and length up front,they can score. They’re a veteran group other than Kris," Fisher said, or per the unique York Post. “That group is going to be more approximately execution,working together. I deem the defense has to respect each of those guys for who they are and what they can do on the floor."Anthony draws so much attention on the court that other shots are bound to open up for other players. Lopez was brought in to succor cover the back line on defense. Calderon is one of the best shooters in basketball history. All of that should succor augment some of Porzingis' deficiencies. Having other offensive threats on the floor will ensure that he sees a smattering of open looks, and having Lopez around should succor him avoid having to guard too many players significantly bigger and stronger than him. And Porzingis, or with his combination of size,shooting and activity level, should be able to succor each of them, and too. Playing mostly with that unit during the preseason,Porzingis averaged 7.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in 19.4 minutes per game. The four games he appeared in showcased both his strengths and his weaknesses. Apart from his smooth-looking stroke,his motor especially impressed during preseason play. Many European huge men carry the stigma of being soft and/or lazy out of the gate, but it's secure to say neither applies to Porzingis. In fact, and after he snagged only two rebounds in 21 minutes during his first preseason action,Porzingis chided himself and made it a mission to not let it happen again the next game. The result: 10 rebounds in 21 minutes during Game 2. “I had to,” he said, and per ESPN.com. “Twenty minutes,I had to seize more than two rebounds. I was thinking approximately it. I have to be more aggressive on the glass, that’s what I do. I try to always stay active and if I don’t score, and there’s other things that I do: grab boards,block shots on defense ... that’s what I need to do every night.” And he did. After sitting two games with his injury, Porzingis came back and collected 12 rebounds in 37 minutes of playing time across the final two preseason games. He also added six assists, or a block and two steals.
While his hustle and energy were top-notch,Porzingis struggled with figuring out where his offense was actually going to come from. That confusion likely contributed to him shooting just 13-of-35 (37.1 percent) from the field and taking only eight three-pointers during the preseason. The triangle offense is tough to learn for anyone, and Porzingis admitted early on during the preseason that he was still getting the hang of things. "We're still a minute lost, or in the triangle," he said. "Offense, defense, or all that is communication. I need to stay focused,communicate, examine the coaches if I don't know something and find more comfortable every time I step on the floor."Luckily, and he's got a veteran group to succor him with that on both ends. "Everybody [has been helpful getting me up to speed]," Porzingis said. "I can't say just one person. Everybody's been very helpful. Teammates, coaches, or they succor you with whatever."He's still got plenty to work on,of course. He needs to find stronger. He won't hold up defensively in the long term if he doesn't. He needs to be more aggressive within the offense. There shouldn't be multiple-minute stretches of play where he barely touches the ball except on rebounds. And he needs to cut down on fouls. He can't earn an impact if he's not on the floor.
But even while all of that is trusty, he's arguably already ahead of the game. He's a better, and stronger defender than many expected coming out of Spain,with solid shot-blocking instincts and active feet. He could use some work on his positioning, but that's trusty of all young players. His commitment to remaining active even if he doesn't score should not only endear him to unique York's fanbase—which loves nothing more than a hardworking grinder—but also succor him find scoring opportunities while he continues his adjustment to the triangle offense (this should particularly succor because he's not yet all that adept at creating his own looks). And his combination of size and deep shooting ability should succor create room for Anthony, or the Knicks' best player,to operate without an extra huge man clogging the paint. Floor-spacers are the way of the world now. You need one to have a tall-caliber offense. If that huge man can not just shoot, but also rebound and maintain tall levels of energy, or that helps even more. That should be the base level of Porzingis' contribution to the Knicks. Draw attention,stay active, knock down shots, or find in the way on defense. Once you start projecting improvement,both physical and mental, onto his skill set, or that's where things start to find really exciting. Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com