New York Knicks: The game is slowing down for Kristaps Porzingis
New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis endured an extended cold stretch. As the game slows down, Porzingis is ready to put the inconsistency behind him.
There comes a time in every great athlete’s career when their respective sport begins to slow down for them. The manic pace that often leaves younger players lost and confused begins to reach a more relaxed tempo, thus enabling the mental and physical aspects of the game to reach a point of stability.
It will take more than half a season for Kristaps Porzingis to achieve that feeling of on-court serenity, but the New York Knicks star may already be turning a corner.
Much was made of Porzingis’ December woes, especially as they began to trickle into the month of January. In recent games, however, he’s displayed the poise and maturity as a scorer and overall player that Knicks fans have come to expect from him.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Porzingis is beginning to slow down and take what comes to him instead of forcing the issue.
"“I’m just trying to slow down mentally. That’s helping me know,” he said afterward. “I’m not thinking I need to score as much. I just want to be involved. When the shots come, I’m going to take them, and they’re going to be higher-percentage shots, not as many contested shots and not as much me fighting to get the bucket.“[This approach is] smoother. It’s my game, more on the perimeter and using my speed. And I feel like if I can keep my head this way and we can keep moving the ball like we moved it [Monday], then we’ll be fine.”"
Porzingis will need to be able to attack a set defense during late-game situations, but he’s approaching the game the right way.
For as dynamic of a scorer as he is, the most appealing aspect of Porzingis’ game is that he doesn’t need to score to take over. He’s a genuine defensive anchor, as evidenced by his rankings of No. 1 in both blocks per game and opponent field goal percentage at the rim.
When Porzingis focuses on protecting the rim and rebounding, the rest of his game tends to fall into place—and the Knicks tend to excel for that very reason.
If one were to look at his scoring in a vacuum, Porzingis can only benefit from learning how to pick his spots within the flow of a game.
Porzingis is New York’s closer, and will thus be tasked with creating in isolation during the deciding minutes of the fourth quarter. The key to having enough energy to close out the potential victories, however, will be to pace himself through the first three quarters.
Thankfully, Porzingis flashed an understanding of the need to adapt during the Knicks’ 119-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets, when he tallied 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
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The New York Knicks are trusting Kristaps Porzingis to become the go-to scoring option. With a team-first mentality, that process will be made far more manageable.