OAKLAND, Calif.—Earlier in this NBA season, when the Knicks took a drubbing like the one they took here in California on Wednesday, losing to the defending champion Warriors by 36 points, fans could usually take some solace in the fact that rookie Kristaps Porzingis looked like a star in the making, seemingly progressing with each game.

Even in a 95-78 blowout loss to Miami on Nov. 23, for one example, he scored 20 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked two shots. But now, after a 1-for-11 shooting performance in Golden State that ranks among the worst of his brief career, Porzingis is mired in a lengthy slump in which he has posted a number of similar-looking shooting lines: 2-of-10 against Phoenix, 3-of-11 at Denver, and 4-of-13 against Miami. All told, he has shot 30.2%, including 25% from 3-point range, over his last seven games.

The question now, apart from how much he has left in the tank with 13 games still to play, is what’s responsible for his regression, and whether the Knicks’ on-court schemes—particularly since the team made a coaching change last month—have played a role in his regression. Asked about the latter possibility, Porzingis said things hadn’t changed all that much since interim head coach Kurt Rambis took over the club in early February.

“We’re basically doing the same things,” he said. “[Rambis] makes different decisions about when to sub guys out, but it’s basically the same thing. Maybe a shorter time for me [on the floor], which means I can play more intense. But my job stays the same.”

While Porzingis is correct that his playing time has diminished—something ex-Knick Walt “Clyde” Frazier has repeatedly suggested makes it difficult for the big man to develop a rhythm over the course of a game, since he’s playing in shorter bursts—there’s more to it than that.

A look at the numbers reveals that the 7-foot-3-inch Porzingis has been operating considerably more out of the post, where, despite his towering height, he still lacks the base strength to be a consistent option at this stage of his career.
Kristaps Porzingis has been posting up more against shorter, stronger defenders like Denver's Darrell Arthur.

Porzingis has received the ball in the post an average of four times in his past three games, up almost 54% from his average number of post touches under Derek Fisher, who was fired Feb. 8. Porzingis has shot just 14.3% on those looks, according to NBA.com, as shorter, stronger defenders like the Warriors’ Draymond Green have made it a point to get into his body and play him more physically.

That jibes with what Rambis has said lately about how he prefers to use Porzingis: setting him up in the post more, as opposed to him doing the majority of his work from the perimeter, where the rookie has arguably played his best basketball this season.

This isn’t to say there aren’t other factors at play, as well—ones that have little to do with Rambis.

Porzingis has already played more minutes this season (1,832) than he did in parts of three professional seasons in Spain combined (1,615). And it hasn’t helped that he’s been battling ailments lately, last week playing through a bruised shin and more recently a stomach bug that sapped his energy. “It impacted my breathing at first,” Porzingis said after the Golden State game.

Still, while Porzingis appears to be suffering from burnout, it’s worth noting that many of his struggles have coincided with a number of comments Rambis has made concerning his development, a few of which raise questions about how Rambis and the Knicks want to use and develop Porzingis long-term.

‘“There are shots out there that he takes that I flat-out don’t like.”’
—Kurt Rambis on Kristaps Porzingis

Rambis has said that due to Porzingis’s athleticism and versatility, he could “eventually see him at the 3-spot some,” referring to the small-forward position. That was days after Rambis said he wanted Porzingis to sprint down court after opponents’ misses more frequently in hopes of getting more post-up opportunities. Rambis, who has said Porzingis is “going to be phenomenal,” has also been critical of the rookie’s shot selection, saying “there are shots out there that he takes that I flat-out don’t like.” Porzingis’s 3-point attempts are down since Rambis’s comment.

Looking for ways to play bigger lineups by putting Porzingis at small forward, and to get him more post-up looks (instead of center Robin Lopez getting them) seems a bit backward in today’s NBA, where teams typically look to use players with Porzingis’s skill set at center because of how much space it requires defenses to cover along the perimeter. Playing him at small forward, and using more traditional bigs at power forward and center, negates that strategy.

And while there’s nothing wrong with Porzingis getting more comfortable posting up, especially in the triangle offense, it’s curious that Rambis sees a quick post-up as being worthwhile for Porzingis to pursue early in possessions, since he has enough quickness to get transition dunks and could potentially be a long-range threat as a trailer in transition. It’s also a misuse of his talent to not run more pick-and-pop action for him, given how much his shooting ability can compromise defenses.

But before Knicks fans get too upset about all this, they should remember that Porzingis will have to get more comfortable in the post anyway—and that Rambis may not be the Knicks’ head coach for much longer.

Still, the Knicks would be wise to find more modern ways to use Porzingis instead of taking his unique skill set and hammering it into the parts of the team’s offense that may need alterations anyway.
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H1AND1 wrote:Im not sue it's possible I can hate Rambis more. Hated him as a player too. Ugh.

I hate old school know it alls especially when their stupidity affects others.

CrushAlot wrote:

Rambis has said that due to Porzingis’s athleticism and versatility, he could “eventually see him at the 3-spot some,” referring to the small-forward position. That was days after Rambis said he wanted Porzingis to sprint down court after opponents’ misses more frequently in hopes of getting more post-up opportunities. Rambis, who has said Porzingis is “going to be phenomenal,” has also been critical of the rookie’s shot selection, saying “there are shots out there that he takes that I flat-out don’t like.” Porzingis’s 3-point attempts are down since Rambis’s comment.
Looking for ways to play bigger lineups by putting Porzingis at small forward, and to get him more post-up looks (instead of center Robin Lopez getting them) seems a bit backward in today’s NBA, where teams typically look to use players with Porzingis’s skill set at center because of how much space it requires defenses to cover along the perimeter. Playing him at small forward, and using more traditional bigs at power forward and center, negates that strategy.

And then there is this:

“I think he’s perfectly capable of doing that,” Jackson said when asked if he wants Rambis to be coaching the Knicks. “We’ve talked many times over the past four or five years about the obvious record that is created behind his coaching in Minnesota and that puts a black mark on his coaching ability at first glance.

“But he has a way of handling players. He’s relaxed yet he has the ability to keep them focused on the important parts of it. He’s a defensive-oriented guy. I had him as my defensive coordinator for my teams in 2007, eight and nine. And I think he has a real good handle on that part. So we’ll see how they go

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/phil-jackson-kurt-rambis-back-knicks-coach-article-1.2561769

What's scary is that Rambis quotes may not be coming from him. It's more likely coming from Phil because Rambis is trying to win the job and we now that they are communicating with each other a friend to friend level.

So at the end of the year you want to take post touches away from Lopez when he is proving that he can handle his own on the offensive end. Okay, I get that you would do that some games because it's not a natural part of Lopez game. So sub down and put KP at the 5. No wait lets sub in O'Quin and play KP at the 3?