New York Knicks: Mindaugas Kuzminskas Showing Flashes Of Potential

Mindaugas Kuzminskas has shown flashes of his intriguing potential over the past few weeks. He could be the X-Factor for the New York Knicks.

Phil Jackson has been a polarizing figure during his tenure as team president of the New York Knicks. The one area in which all rational thinkers have agreed upon, however, is that Jackson did well by ignoring the masses and drafting Kristaps Porzingis.

If we’re keeping track of what Jackson has done right and what he’s done wrong, then it may be time to put signing Mindaugas Kuzminskas into the plus column.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: when the Knicks announced the signing of Kuzminskas, many were upset that Jackson chose an enigmatic European player. Despite making his name as a star in Europe, Kuzminskas was a virtual unknown in most NBA circles.

33 appearances into his tenure as a member of the New York Knicks, Kuzminskas is becoming a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden.

Kuzminskas, a 27-year-old small forward from Lithuania, has been a revelation. Statistically, he’s averaging 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.9 3-point field goals made in 12.0 minutes per game on a slash line of .450/.387/.783.

Those may not be impressive numbers at face value, but they translate to marks of 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 3-point field goals made per 36 minutes.

Bigger than the averages is the fact that Kuzminskas has been a fearless contributor who makes the most of his opportunities. He shoots whenever the opportunity arises and is constantly looking to expand his game and test his limits.

During the Knicks’ 104-89 win over the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 12, Kuzminskas established just how dynamic a talent he can be.

Kuzminskas finished with 19 points, four rebounds, three offensive boards, one assist, two steals, and a block in 30 minutes. He shot 8-of-15 from the field, 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and 1-of-1 from the free throw line.

In addition to posting an impressive +/- of +9, Kuzminskas set career-highs in terms of both opportunity and execution.

Kuzminskas also eclipsed 30 minutes of playing time for the first time in his NBA career.

Kuzminskas has recorded at least 10 points in four of his past seven games. In addition to his eruption against Chicago, he scored 14 points in 16 minutes against the Houston Rockets, had 15 points in 19 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks, and had 13 points in 15 minutes against the Indiana Pacers.

Kuzminskas also had nine points in 16 minutes against the Orlando Magic and seven points in 13 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks during that stretch.

Kuzminskas scored all seven of his points against Milwaukee during the third quarter of a comeback victory.

For as promising as he’s been over the past few weeks—and quite frankly, the entire season—Kuzminskas’ performance against Chicago was easily his best. He diversified his offensive game, competed defensively, and showed no fear on either end of the floor.

The testament to his performance was the fact that five of his eight field goals made were contested shot attempts.

Kuzminskas does an excellent job of working without the ball to find openings within the defense. When he gets the ball, he shows the confidence in his range to go straight up with the shot.

Thus far in 2016-17, Kuzminskas is shooting 40.6 percent on catch and shoot 3-point field goals.

Numbers aside, if the rest of the Knicks were as confident off the catch as Kuzminskas, the offense would be impossible to defend.

Kuzminskas’ 3-point range continues to be a factor, but he’s expanding his game by going inside. He worked the baseline to perfection against Chicago and his teammates rewarded him by finding him for easy finishes beneath the rim.

The key to Kuzminskas succeeding inside has been the manner in which he’s embraced his size.

Kuzminskas is a 6’9″ small forward, which gives him an inherent advantage over most players at his position. Against Chicago, he took his man off the bounce, went all the way in transition, blocked a jump shot from behind, and knew exactly where to be when the defense fell asleep.

Kuzminskas is still visibly tentative when attacking the basket and handling the ball, but the fact he took chances against the Bulls is a promising sign.

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For what it’s worth, the Knicks have net ratings of -0.4 with Kuzminskas on the court and -4.0 without him. Translation: he makes New York a better team.