1. Kristaps Porzingis Has No Ceiling
Generally speaking, the notion that a player has no ceiling is hyperbole utilized to express a valid point that their upside is all-time greatness. In the case of New York Knicks phenom Kristaps Porzingis, however, his ceiling is unprecedented.
Against the Los Angeles Lakers, Porzingis proved as much by recording 26 points, 12 rebounds, three offensive boards, two assists, seven blocks, one steal, and three 3-point field goals made.
Porzingis did it all and maintained his efficiency with shooting marks of 8-of-15 from the field, 3-of-4 from distance, and 7-of-9 at the free throw line. The fact that he’s 7’3″, mobile, and skilled creates the potential for him to potentially average those statistics—minus a few blocks, of course.
As for the ceiling talk, try this. During his dominant showing against the Lakers, Porzingis became the first documented player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks, and three 3-point field goals.
Basketball-Reference.com confirmed our findings.
It's true! Kristaps is the first since 1983 https://t.co/d7cxlrRNjZ https://t.co/FN7XS0flKB
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) December 12, 2016
Basketball-Reference.com’s Game Finder records date back to 1983-84. The 3-point shot wasn’t introduced until 1979-80, meaning Porzingis may have been the first to ever do it.
This falls in line with what Porzingis achieved in 2015-16. For those unfamiliar, he became the first rookie in NBA history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 75 3-point field goals made.
Not only is Porzingis a physical anomaly at a coordinated and athletic 7’3″, but he’s combining skills in an unprecedented manner.
Must Read: Monitoring trade activity from around the NBA
“The sky is the limit” may be an appropriate cliche, but I’m not sure there is a limit to what Kristaps Porzingis can do.