Jeff Hornacek says Kristaps Porzingis' shot has 'improved greatly'
10:01 AM ET
Ian Begley

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The New York Knicks have had just four practices, so it’s too early to make any grand conclusions. But, so far, Jeff Hornacek has been impressed by Kristaps Porzingis’ shooting.

“I think he’s improved greatly from last year just watching him shoot,” Hornacek said Thursday. “He’s really feeling confident about the shot. His corner 3s seem like they're automatic. The one 3 that he made and the other 3 that he missed that went in and out [in Thursday’s scrimmage], they both were from about 4-5 feet from behind the line. So he’s got the range.”

Porzingis shot 42 percent from the floor in his rookie season. He made 45 percent of his two-point attempts and 33 percent of his 3s. The Knicks believe those numbers can improve, particularly if the offense can create easier shots for Porzingis and his teammates. Hornacek says the staff has also encouraged Porzingis to use more arc in his shot.

“The biggest thing for him is being a tall guy [he is 7-foot-3], they have a different perspective on how they're looking at the rim and they have a tendency to shoot the ball a little flat,” said Hornacek, one of the NBA’s top shooters during his 14-year playing career.

Porzingis shot most of his 3-point attempts from above the break (above where the 3-point arc turns into a straight line) last season. It’s a shot that the Knicks have encouraged him to attempt early in the shot clock. Porzingis attempted two of those shots -- one as a trailer -- in the portion of Thursday’s scrimmage that was open to the media.

“I think that’s a high-percentage shot for me,” he said. “Last year Phil Jackson, he told me that he likes that shot. I wasn’t so sure about it at first. It was early in the offense. I didn’t know if it was the best shot. But once we saw the percentages, he said it’s a pretty good look if I get that. The bigs a lot of times, they’re giving me that space, then just take that shot. Once he said that I have his confidence in me, and it was just, 'Let it go.' I’ll probably do the same thing this year.”

Kristaps Porzingis, shown with Courtney Lee at a practice Tuesday, has shown a confident, improved shot so far in training camp, said Knicks coach Jeff

Getting stronger? Hornacek said he’s already seen some benefits of Porzingis adding strength to his lower half. “ We saw a couple of times today that when he drove to the basket. I think last year he was getting a little bump and kind of falling away and throwing up something wild,” the coach said Thursday. “And this year, he’s taking the bumps and he’s falling to the basket. So that’s a sign of strength.”

Porzingis enters camp this season at around 240 pounds after finishing last season at 233 pounds. He said he focused on strengthening his core and lower body in the offseason, in part, to help him hold position in the post and defend on the interior.

Hornacek plans to use Porzingis both in the post and on the perimeter this season in an attempt to take advantage of the natural matchup problems the big man presents to opponents.

“We're having him run down the middle of the court if he’s the first big [to reach the paint in transition]. And then if he doesn’t get it, he’s got to figure out where to go. He has the ability and he has the permission to either stay in the post or float out to the 3-point line,” Hornacek said.

Hornacek wants to improve EFG%: Here’s something for those wondering how much Hornacek uses advanced stats. He mentioned Thursday that one area where he wants the Knicks to improve is effective field goal percentage, a measure that incorporates the added value of 3-point attempts. Last season, the Knicks ranked 28th in effective field goal percentage at 48 percent.

“I thought that for a team, it was pretty low last year for guys,” Hornacek said. “That should be above 50 percent. And I think if you look at their effective field-goal percentage from last season, I think all of them are going to improve on that because they’re not going to have to take tough, hard shots. Our hope is we have enough talent out there on the court [to draw and take advantage of double teams and create open shots].”

GustavBahler wrote:Im looking forward to see what kind of post game KP has developed over the summer as well.

KP's development is EVERYTHING when it comes to this team's future and I am pulling for this kid so much. I think we'd all love for him to become a Superstar. These reports just make me more curious to see game action.

dk7th wrote:

nixluva wrote:This article has a lot of really good stuff if you are hoping Horny focuses on the Team's Shooting Efficiency and using KP in multiple ways. I hope all of this continues to develop and improve cuz it's the kind of stuff that can help make this team so much more competitive. If KP can improve significantly in his 2nd season that's a real game changer.

it's not a question of "if" with KP6 unless rose and jennings torpedo the offense.

nixluva wrote:

dk7th wrote:

nixluva wrote:This article has a lot of really good stuff if you are hoping Horny focuses on the Team's Shooting Efficiency and using KP in multiple ways. I hope all of this continues to develop and improve cuz it's the kind of stuff that can help make this team so much more competitive. If KP can improve significantly in his 2nd season that's a real game changer.

it's not a question of "if" with KP6 unless rose and jennings torpedo the offense.

JESUS!!! Rose and BJ are here to help make things easier for KP and to make the team better. It's going to be on Hornacek to instruct his guards on how he wants things to flow. There's no need to assume or worry at this stage about our PG's torpedoing the offense.

they may not have the wherewithal to do what he asks of them, for any number of reasons-- won't be on the coach in that case, it'll be one year auditions failing their auditions.