The rosters at the Las Vegas Summer League are stocked with draftees looking to impress and fringe players desperate to land an NBA contract. This tends to make it even more of a guard's league than the NBA proper. The players who initiate the offense on the perimeter want to prove to every scout, coach, and executive in attendance that they can make winning plays. Too often they go about it in the wrong ways—rushing shots, overdribbling—for the sake of having a direct and obvious influence on the game that shows in the box score.

Big men, then, tend to function as accessories. In spite of that organizational limitation, Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis was able to showcase a level of skill and feel for the game in Vegas well ahead of his developmental schedule. That hardly makes him NBA-ready in all respects, though it's valuable in itself that Porzingis looks to be a prospect worth waiting for.

Those glimpses go a long way. Patience is the order of the day in New York, where the reactionary mismanagement typical of that franchise has finally given way to a more gradual track to respectability. Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, and Kyle O'Quinn won't save the Knicks or bail out Carmelo Anthony in any dramatic way. They will, however, fill the rotation with players more worthy of their roles and more capable of running the triangle offense as intended. Short-sightedness and market hubris led the Knicks into pitfall after pitfall over the years. At long last they've actually deemed it worthwhile to actually watch their step, take reliable footholds, and plot their way forward.

This is what long-term planning looks like and Porzingis is just the high-leverage piece for it. Much rests on the shoulders of the 7-foot prospect, which is just as it should be for a team in New York's position coming off of the No. 4 pick in the draft. With time, the Knicks will bring in more players of developmental interest and potential stars. As it stands, they can make do with just the one—a smart, calculated risk that complements the rest of New York's blueprint nicely.

Porzingis isn't physically ready to be a meaningful NBA contributor, if only because he's still too slight in ways that will factor into most every possession. Forget the post; Porzingis isn't at a point where he can set a hard screen, hold his rebounding position, or deny an off-ball opponent from moving as they'd like. Practical basketball strength goes well beyond being dislodged from the low block. Until Porzingis can fill out a bit, even incidental contact will be a battle.

What's most promising is that Porzingis, despite his lean frame and playing on a team of players he hardly knew, still navigated the floor in Vegas like a fluid, instinctive basketball player. So much of what he couldn't do can be remedied with time and training. What he already could do confidently—turn on the catch and shoot quickly, slide around the floor on defense, assist teammates outside the context of any set play—spoke to a feel for the game that's much more innate. Rare is a 7-footer who can move as Porzingis does. Exceptionally so are those who operate with an instinctive sense of purpose beyond the obvious.

Reading and navigating the NBA game will be an entirely different test for Porzingis. Summer league is, from an execution standpoint, an incredibly limited setting. The players aren't talented enough and the schemes aren't sophisticated enough to force any individual into possessions on end of complicated decision-making, as would happen when trying to slow the Spurs or score on the Warriors. How Porzingis does with that flow will be a point of intrigue. Clearly he has the skills and size to be factor. Yet stardom in the modern NBA requires the ability to stay ahead of an opponent's progressing offense or recovering defense on a beat-for-beat basis. Discerning the right play only matters, in a sense, if a player has the coordination and timing to complete it.

We won't know for sure until we see Porzingis challenged at full speed. His height alone gives him some leeway in firing off his jumper, catching passes in traffic, and contesting the shots of others. These are the perks of being a giant. The push toward precision, though, will help Porzingis in those snap transitions from one responsibility to the next. NBA bigs are caught in a never-ending spiral of screening, rolling, rebounding, containing, and challenging. Porzingis has the ability to do each of those things individually. Only time will tell if he can do them all in succession at the rigor that high-level NBA play demands.

so excited for the PORZINGIS era to begin!

What's most promising is that Porzingis, despite his lean frame and playing on a team of players he hardly knew, still navigated the floor in Vegas like a fluid, instinctive basketball player. So much of what he couldn't do can be remedied with time and training. What he already could do confidently—turn on the catch and shoot quickly, slide around the floor on defense, assist teammates outside the context of any set play—spoke to a feel for the game that's much more innate. Rare is a 7-footer who can move as Porzingis does. Exceptionally so are those who operate with an instinctive sense of purpose beyond the obvious.

I actually think he'll adapt to the physicality of the game sooner than some think. but I'm biased, I suppose.

One of the things that continues to impress me is the story that the defensive decision he made to front OK4 in the second half was made by him, without being told to do so by his coaches.

fishmike wrote:I like everything about him. The more learned the more loved. My new Mosgov crush. The person he's going to have the biggest impact on is Grant. KP is taking all the focus and pressure and just kind of rolling with it. Grant will get to just work hard and play his game free of expectations. If we didn't have the first and Grant was the lone pick things would be very different. I think Grant is going to excel very quickly. He's mature and has a refined game. Last 5 years his coach was the PG on a teams fighting for titles every year... I think we finally have a nice mixture. I like the balance of this roster.

I really wouldn't take another player at 4 over this guy.

The interesting part is we filled 2 potential starter rolls at a fairly cheap cost, thanks to the 2 first round picks. It's better to have two first now and zero next year. This gives the 2 rookies a chance to get some NBA experience. Next year, it's all about filling the holes with free agents, and watching the rookies grow (including Ndour who's better than some of the guys on our team now).

StarksEwing1 wrote:I really liked what i saw in SL. I still expect a up and down rookie year only because he still needs more muscle since he is only 19. However between him and grant im happy we are finally using the draft to build a team

CrushAlot wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:I really liked what i saw in SL. I still expect a up and down rookie year only because he still needs more muscle since he is only 19. However between him and grant im happy we are finally using the draft to build a team

I am not tat excited about Early or Thanasis but I think Hernangomez may turn out to be a very good player. I also really like Ndour. The Knicks are setting themselves up nicely. Grant and Kristaps look like cornerstone players.

I actually like what i've seen from Early. Starting late last year he was looking more like the player we drafted. His energy level and confidence attacking and taking shots was much improved. I wouldn't let the SL stint influence my thinking on Early. He'll look better in the more stable nature of the NBA when he's able to take advantage of better execution and spacing. I think Early is gonna be a great running partner with Jerian and the other young studs. As long as he's aggressive and plays with energy I think Early is gonna be a nice part of the rotation.

It started with his stint in the D League last year and he flashed some of that same energy when he came back up.

Nalod wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:I actually thought Early was real good during the SL. I know his rookie year wasnt a success BUT keep in mind he was battling injuries and our team was pretty much a mess. If you go back to before the 2014 draft he was projected to be a late first rounder so i considering him a steal that we got him in the 2nd. Im not saying he is gonna be a starter but if he provides scoring and some defense off the bench that will help a lot

Its important guys like this develop for on court performance and perhaps as a trade asset as opportunity presents itself. Either way it pushes the roster forward!

StarksEwing1 wrote:

Nalod wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:I actually thought Early was real good during the SL. I know his rookie year wasnt a success BUT keep in mind he was battling injuries and our team was pretty much a mess. If you go back to before the 2014 draft he was projected to be a late first rounder so i considering him a steal that we got him in the 2nd. Im not saying he is gonna be a starter but if he provides scoring and some defense off the bench that will help a lot

Its important guys like this develop for on court performance and perhaps as a trade asset as opportunity presents itself. Either way it pushes the roster forward!

Yeah agreed. I still think we need to find a way to et some picks for next years draft since we probably wll end up with 30-35 wins. Thats why im hoping calderon has a bounce back year and maybe we can throw in a kid like early to get something decent back

how high a draft pick do you think we could get for calderon and early? certainly nothing in the top 20, right?