You know the story by now: he was booed at draft night by a few fans who decided to live up to the obnoxious “Noo Yawk” sports fan stereotypes, but made the city love him once he finally hit the court. He became more than a revelation for a downtrodden team, but a legitimate superstar in the making on and off the court. He welcomed the challenge from the start without resentment or trepidation. He even managed to gain mainstream respect outside of the city's five boroughs, something increasingly hard to get these days for just about anything not called "Hamilton."
Thus far, season two in the Kristaps Porzingis experience has mostly exceeded the breakout rookie campaign, and while the latest incarnation of the New York Knicks tries to figure itself out, the second-year big man from Latvia is helping reshape the team’s identity.
KP’s emergence a year ago was in large part sue to the skill set he already brought to the NBA: supremely lanky but mobile and quick-footed, tremendous range, and almost a veteran’s assertiveness that belied his freshman status. Yet, the quick rise was also in contrast to a team that was built to win… later. The roster make-up was a compromise between flirtation with a lower playoff seed and waiting a couple of years for the Porzingis machine to become fully sentient.
With Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo and Jose Calderon in the starting lineup, the Knicks had players who been through playoff battles and understood the grind of getting to the postseason. The problem was, regardless of if they were supposed to run the Triangle, run-and-gun or whatever former head coach Derek Fisher attempted to put together, none of those players had the assertiveness or production to improve the offense. Then, as is now, much of the team’s scoring came through Carmelo Anthony as he is still one of the handful of NBA players who could get any shot off and create opportunities. Unfortunately as it has been for the majority of his time in New York, opposing teams placed all of their focus on Melo in order to beat the Knicks. Enter Porzingis, whose presence allowed the Knicks to occasionally break the “pass it to Will” sets that burdened Anthony.
You could pick just about any point in the above clip to find out what team president Phil Jackson saw in him leading up to the 2015 NBA Draft. Porzingis’s lateral movement in the halfcourt set allowed for him to find his shot rather than just merely fling the ball towards the basket once he touched it. In multiple occasions, that movement made him a surprising defensive presence when opposing guards went to attack the rim. His ability to run the floor gave the team something almost unheard of in seasons past in New York, a transition game. Most of all, Porzingis built a symbiotic relationship with Anthony, with the possible Hall of Famer having a partner whose decision-making he could comfortably rely on. Yet, it was understood that while there was still time for KP to mature into a potential All-Star (it’s coming, folks), there was also an opportunity to speed up the trial-by-fire development with roster upgrades that could fully exploit his unique skills and make the playoffs.
Fast forward a year later, and we see a player who has clearly made additions to his repertoire in the offseason. You may have seen Porzingis use Dirk Nowitzki’s signature move in front of the future Hall of Famer when the Dallas Mavericks rolled through town. He has also melded a bit of Anthony’s space creation into a solid step-back fadeaway and continues to use his length to great advantage in his spin moves. Though he can score from just about anywhere, he clearly has his favorite spots on the floor, at the apex of the three-point line, a step or two underneath the right side of the line, the right corner and the occasional spotting four to five feet of either side of the basket.
Quite a few locally and nationally have been chomping at the bit to hand the reins of the franchise to ‘PorzinGAWD’ from the moment he dropped the first put-back dunk last November. Yet, whether they choose to accept it or not, the Knicks are still Melo’s team. Just ask Porzingis himself, who since arriving to New York, has consistently emphasized the importance of having the guidance of a player with Anthony’s credentials. (And unquestionably Anthony has relished in the role of mentoring the dynamic big man.)
The sophomore forward/center may never become an All-NBA First Team defender, but has the tools to become an interior presence. He may lean on his infinite range too much, but he has already shown the uncanny ability to adapt to multiple in-game situations. Yet, for all of the hopes that he becomes the second coming of Nowitzki or more importantly, a new centerpiece for a franchise long starving for its third championship, Kristaps Porzingis has all the opportunity in the world to be his own man.
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