New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis Remains Focused
New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis has put forth a sensational rookie season. He opened up on how his mentality has changed since the beginning of the year.
The narrative of the New York Knicks building around rookie big man Kristaps Porzingis is nothing like it used to be. A year ago today, Porzingis was nothing more than an upside prospect whose YouTube videos intrigued and size left fans in awe.
As his being booed at the 2015 NBA Draft showed, the notion of building around Porzingis used to be perceived as farfetched. Used to be.
Porzingis has excelled on both ends of the floor, ranking No. 7 in the NBA in blocks per game and averaging a solid 13.8 points per game. Beyond the numbers, however, is a player who is taking every game as an opportunity to develop new skills and discover what does and doesn’t work for him.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, that process begins with his transition from the schedule of Spain’s Liga ACB to that of the NBA.
"“It’s tough schedule, for sure,’’ said Porzingis, who played just 50 games last season in the Spanish League. “It’s a short period now. You need to be locked in and give all. I don’t want to finish the season with regret and then have five months of offseason work. I want to give my all. When the offseason starts, I’ll put in more work and prepare myself for next season.’’"
Porzingis’ statistics will tell any story we’d like them to, but this season has been nothing but a learning experience from the start.
Porzingis is attempting to play in 32 additional games to what he played in Liga ACB. He’s been active for 66 of a possible 69 outings thus far, and has fought through minor injuries to remain active and productive as a member of the New York Knicks.
When active, Porzingis’ lone focus has been doing as much as possible—a mentality that has since changed.
"“I had a decent game against the Clippers,’’ Porzingis said. “That’s level I want to play at. [Wednesday] was a bad one again. Maybe it breaks up the rhythm. I miss one game [vs. the Lakers]. I try to come back, try to do too much. Now I’m trying to get back and focus on the preparing for the next game and hope to finish the season strong.”"
The, “Decent game,” that Porzingis is referring to was a 23-point outing on 6-of-17 shooting.
For every shot that Porzingis converts, there are more that he misses and still manages to impress the masses with. From Hakeem Olajuwon dream shakes and Dirk Nowitzki fadeaways, to crossovers and up-and-under layups, Porzingis is cultivating a tantalizing skill set.
Those who get too caught up on his game-to-game statistics are missing the bigger picture.
Porzingis shooting 6-of-17 against Los Angeles, or his going 1-of-11 from the field against the Golden State Warriors, aren’t numbers worth taking to heart. Underwhelming as they may be, those erratic shooting nights are simply a part of the learning process.
The game against Golden State was one that helped Porzingis prove and establish his maturity as a player.
"“From the beginning I felt that I wasn’t 100 percent yet, but I wanted to stay in the game although the game was what it was,’’ Porzingis said. “I wanted to stay in the game just to get that first one out so I can start to feel better for the next game.”"
That isn’t an excuse that he wasn’t healthy enough to play; it was an acknowledgement of how his mentality has changed as he’s gained experience.
Porzingis understood that the struggles of his first game back from injury would exist and take their toll. That short-term memory is a major part of what makes the Knicks’ star rookie such a special player.
In due time, Porzingis should develop into the franchise player that Phil Jackson believes he can be.
More knicks: Carmelo Anthony wants the New York Knicks to build an immediate contender
Do yourself a favor: don’t forget that he’s only 20 years old.