The Growing Pains of Kristaps Porzingis
The Knicks’ star rookie is slumping but playing him in tough spots may be part of the NBA’s learning curveBy CHRIS HERRING
Dec. 22, 2015 4:41 p.m. ET
One question seemingly hovered over the Knicks franchise before the season: How would this team toe the difficult line between development and dedication to winning now, while star Carmelo Anthony, at the age of 31, enjoys the last year or two of his prime?
For a while, with the unexpectedly strong play of 20-year-old rookie Kristaps Porzingis, the issue became moot. But lately, with Porzingis shooting 29% in the last seven games, and the team fighting to stay afloat in a strengthened Eastern Conference with a 14-15 record, the line has become blurred again in terms of which path the Knicks are taking.
That dilemma—between letting Porzingis ride out what could be a tough learning curve, or taking a more conservative approach with him and leaning more heavily on veterans—was on display Monday, when the Knicks lost to Orlando, 107-99.
Coach Derek Fisher subbed out Porzingis, who had been impactful on defense, with four blocks, to bring veteran Robin Lopez off the bench as Magic center Nik Vucevic prepared to re-enter the game with Orlando ahead, 85-83, and seven minutes left. The second-year coach made the switch despite Vucevic having dominated Lopez (he shot 70%, or 12-of-17 with Lopez serving as his primary defender) in the post during the game.
Fisher made the change because he had more faith in Lopez (7 feet, and 256 pounds) to stop Vucevic (7 feet, 260 pounds), even though he hadn’t been able to earlier in the game.
“Physically, Robin can match size with Vucevic and Lance [Thomas, who shot 9-for-9] was playing well at [power forward]. So who do you take out?” Fisher asked, adding that there was no guarantee Porzingis would’ve better contained Vucevic, who finished with 26 points.
On some level, it might have served the Knicks well to see if Porzingis—who stands 7-foot-3 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, but a thin 240 pounds—could have held his own in that spot, given that there was nothing to lose by at least testing an alternative strategy.
But even Porzingis himself, who’s spent 26% of his minutes so far at center, according to Basketball-Reference, sounded unsure of whether he would’ve been able to stop Vucevic.
“Strength-wise, I still need to get stronger to be able to [do that],” said Porzingis, who generally sounds a more confident tone. “I use my activity and aggressiveness on defense to make plays in the post when [an opposing big man] is trying to receive the ball. Robin’s more of a guy who can hold him, and I’m more of a guy who can dance around him and get a steal. That’s more my game now, because I’m not able to hold those guys yet. But I’m putting in a lot of work now, and I’ll put in a lot of work in the off-season so that next year I can be more prepared to play [center].”
Porzingis has only played 10% of his minutes when Carmelo Anthony is on the bench. ENLARGE
Porzingis has only played 10% of his minutes when Carmelo Anthony is on the bench. PHOTO: NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
While he’s shown he can do the job as a primary defender on stretch power forwards (limiting Anthony Davis to 6-of-14, Kevin Love to 4-of-13 and Chris Bosh to 3-of-12, according to NBA Savant), he’s struggled to stop a handful of centers who are most comfortable playing with their backs to the basket, like DeMarcus Cousins (4-of-8), Karl-Anthony Towns (6-of-8), John Henson (4-of-5) and Tiago Splitter (4-of-4). So there’s a decent chance Vucevic would’ve continued that trend, given that Porzingis “is not a finished product” at center yet, as Fisher said recently.
Still, the coach should know that challenging his rookie, and seeing what Porzingis is capable of, carries more benefit than repeatedly using a veteran who isn’t getting the job done on a given night—especially since, with a solid start to the season, Fisher will likely get the benefit of the doubt this year from team president Phil Jackson, who hired him into the job and with whom he shares personal and professional ties.
Above all else, the scenario, both on Monday and going forward, is a litmus test for a franchise that is in the process of becoming more patient with its young players after decades of having skipped that step. (The Knicks have seen an NBA-high 99 different players suit up and play since 2009—nine more than any other team, according to Stats LLC—and haven’t re-signed a first-round pick to a multiyear deal since Charlie Ward in 1999.)
Striking a balance is what the Knicks have to learn to do, both with Porzingis and fellow first-rounder Jerian Grant, who recently had a pair of eyebrow-raising DNPs where 31-year-old Sasha Vujacic, who owns the NBA’s second-lowest field-goal percentage, played over him.
Fisher should feel a bit more comfortable letting Porzingis play without Carmelo Anthony having to be on the court simultaneously, to stagger the team’s scoring options better and to gradually let the Latvian rookie experience what it’s like to have a handful of possessions run through him, as the offense’s main option. (Just 10% of his minutes, less than three minutes a night, have come with Anthony on the bench.)
Either way, Fisher and the Knicks would be wise not to get too caught up in the standings and the fact that they remain in contention for a playoff spot. More than anything, they need to do all they can to help Porzingis mature as a player, and some of that stems from giving him opportunities in scenarios like Monday’s game.
