New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis Makes Productive Summer League Debut

An anxious Kristaps Porzingis made his New York Knicks debut in the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday afternoon in a 78-73 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

While the Summer League is lacking no shortage of sloppy, uncoordinated basketball, Porzingis has provided a more than respectable debut in limited minutes. Coach Derek Fisher has made a concerted effort to keep his minutes low, presumably to ease him into NBA play and monitor a hip injury that initially raised questions whether he would even participate.

Not only did he play, he embraced an overwhelmingly supportive environment, weathered his nerves, and scored 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, connecting on 6-of-7 from the free throw line, three rebounds and two blocked shots in 18 minutes.

“It was the opposite of what I heard on draft night,” Porzingis told the New York Daily News after his debut. “It was nice to hear some cheers out there.”

“It looks like he can hold his own a little bit out there. I think he’s going to find a comfort zone.” – Knicks President Phil Jackson on Porzingis

As the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Porzingis was roundly booed by the New York audience after the Knicks decided to roll the dice on the 7-foot-3, mostly obscure, Latvian prospect. But on this day a strong contingent of congregated Knicks supporters at the Thomas & Mack Center made it clear he had their support.

Porzingis followed up his debut performance with nine points, three rebounds and a block shot in another 18-minute stint, a 10-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

In both matchups Porzingis has looked comfortable and confident. His baskets have come in an assortment of different ways – mid-range jumper, post-up jump hook, even catching a lob from Jerian Grant and flipping it in.

Against the Lakers, the long armed Latvian displayed a nice back to the basket game as well as several possessions where he was unafraid to put the ball on the floor and drive into the teeth of the defense.

His willingness to be aggressive when the situation calls for it and maintaining a confident demeanor are all positive signals from any rookie, let alone a highly dissected 19-year-old wiry-framed international prospect.

In Tuesday night’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers and the third pick in the draft in Jahlil Okafor, Porzingis stepped out and unleashed a silky smooth jump shot. Although Okafor sliced and diced in the post seemingly at will, Porzingis also had the crowd buzzing in rejecting Okafor on two occasions.

The most glaring weakness for Porzingis was unsurprisingly his lack of strength. While most incoming rookies will need to adapt to NBA speed, Porzingis will by his own admission also need to put on some weight and become stronger if he is to absorb any sort of contact in the paint.

Through three games he’s averaging 10 points and three rebounds and appears willing to embrace physical contact. This is another positive indication from Porzingis because he will almost surely be a target for opposing players when he is on the floor during the regular season.

It is far too early to come to any conclusions regarding his impact or role on the Knicks this season but he’s made a solid debut so far. If Porzingis can continue progressing, building on his confidence, and growing slowly into his body, it would appear he could have a palpable impact sooner than later.

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