New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis Is A Basketball Anomaly

Size + Athleticism + Coordination

It’s rare enough to be a 7’3″ human being, let alone a basketball players. It’s another marvel entirely when that 7’3″ basketball player has athletic ability and explosiveness comparable to players more than a foot shorter than them.

For those who missed it, a recent appearance on Sports Science revealed that Porzingis’ agility is comparable to the 5’9″ Isaiah Thomas and 6’3″ D’Angelo Russell.

It’s also worth noting that Porzingis recorded a max touch of 12’2.5″ and max vertical leap of 37.5″. For perspective on just how insane that is for a player his height, Porzingis’ max vertical leap was two inches higher than that posted by Blake Griffin.

Griffin is 6’10″—five inches shorter than Porzingis—and widely regarded as one of the most explosive athletes in NBA history.

What rounds the size and athleticism out is the factor that doesn’t receive enough credit: his coordination. There have been a number of elite athletes in the 7’0″ range, but it’s rare that they’re coordinated enough to move in ways that, simply put, aren’t awkward.

Porzingis seems to have full control over his body and a strong understanding of his limitations, which he’ll need to continue to display moving forward with his NBA career.