Kristaps Porzingis began the 2017-18 regular season in elite form, but the New York Knicks need to make the game easier for him moving forward.
Courtney Lee isn’t holding back with his constructive criticism of his New York Knicks teammates. Fresh off of calling his fellow Knicks out for failing to pay close enough attention during practice, Lee implored New York to see the bigger picture.
Although Kristaps Porzingis has produced big numbers early in the 2017-18 NBA regular season, Lee is beginning to notice the writing on the wall.
Porzingis opened the regular season by scoring 31 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and 33 points against the Detroit Pistons. He struggled mightily in New York’s third outing, however, tallying just 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting against the Boston Celtics.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Lee believes the Knicks must do a better job of getting Porzingis easier looks at the basket.
"“KP is using so much energy to try to get open and get in a position where he needs the ball and by the time he gets it he’s tired because the defense did their job as far as battling and fighting,” Courtney Lee said. “If we’re not in those right spots it doesn’t make it easier on ourselves or him. We got to help each other out and especially help him out.”"
Lee has been the consummate professional during his tenure with the Knicks, and this is yet another example of his invaluable leadership.
Throughout his poor performance against Boston, Porzingis struggled to deal with the lackluster spacing provided by his teammates. While the 22-year-old phenom needs to overcome his own adversity, his teammates must provide significantly stronger support.
In addition to struggling with where to be and which plays to run, the Knicks are shooting a league-worst 24.2 percent from three-point range through three games.
As Lee stated, Porzingis has enough of a burden to shoulder without his teammates’ inconsistency elevating the pressure.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was brought in to be the Knicks’ secondary scoring option, but is averaging 9.3 points on 24.3 percent shooting from the field through three games. Rookie Frank Ntilikina has missed two games with an injury, and the likes of Michael Beasley and Doug McDermott have struggled to secure playing time.
Porzingis has produced big numbers, but if he’s going to be able to close out games and lead New York to victory, his teammates must step up.
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