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New York Knicks: Burning questions that remain without Kristaps Porzingis

By Maxwell Ogden

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Frank Ntilikina #11 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Frank Ntilikina #11 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 31: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks warms up before the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 31: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks warms up before the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on January 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /

5. Can Tim Hardaway Jr. Right The Ship?

Tim Hardaway Jr. has bookended a brilliant 25-game stretch with two prolonged periods of unequivocally abhorrent play. There’s no hyperbole in either statement, as Hardaway was flirting with star status for 25 games, but has been historically inefficient outside of that run.

With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined and minimal help on the way, Hardaway must do everything in his power to right the ship—no matter what that entails

Over the course of the first four games of the 2017-18 NBA regular season, Hardaway posted a downright brutal slash line of .265/.222/.700. During the next 25 games, however, he averaged 19.2 points and 2.6 three-point field goals made on shooting marks of 456/.363/.802.

Unfortunately, those numbers have come crashing down to 8.9 points per game on a slash line of .258/.114/.643 over Hardaway’s past seven appearances.

It’s possible that Hardaway is feeling the lingering effects of the lower leg injury that sidelined him for 22 games. It’s also within the realm of possibility that he’s mentally broken, and New York needs to help him snap out of his funk with more than a different schematic approach.

Should Jeff Hornacek sit Hardaway and allow the medical staff to ensure he’s 100 percent? Or can Hardaway turn things around after the All-Star Break?

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