New York Knicks: Expectations For Kristaps Porzingis’ Rookie Season

The New York Knicks are looking to be much better than last season, having finished among the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks don’t have a first round draft pick to select another young talent with next summer, so there’s no point in trying to tank the season to have better chances in the lottery.

With that being said, star player Carmelo Anthony never had any plans to throw away the season anyway, considering he is on the backside of his career and is trying to win while he’s still in his prime.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: New York Knicks: Grading The Offseason

Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson did what he could to make the team more competitive next season, adding veteran pieces in Kyle O’Quinn, Derrick Williams, Arron Afflalo and Robin Lopez. Along with that, he also made a draft-day trade that sent Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Atlanta Hawks for rookie point guard Jerian Grant, who should be getting plenty of playing time this year considering Jose Calderon‘s decline.

Arguably the biggest move New York made during the offseason was drafting forward Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick.

Porzingis may not be viewed as NBA-ready by some evaluators around the league now, but there’s no questioning his upside as a two-way menace thanks to his combination of size and mobility. However, I’m here to argue that Porzingis has the tools to bring more to the table this season than others seem to think. Here’s how I see Porzingis’ rookie season playing out.

Offense

Dirk Nowitzki is a lofty comparison for any youngster to live up to, but Porzingis’ ceiling may even be higher than his because of his defensive ability to block shots, which we’ll talk about later.

Nowitzki was viewed as a special talent because of his knack for shooting the basketball from the perimeter with great efficiency at the size of seven feet tall.

Porzingis also can do damage from the perimeter, but at an even greater height. Porzingis is listed at 7’1″ with a 7’6″ wingspan, making it nearly impossible for anyone to block his shot, especially given the fact that he has a relatively high release on his jumper.

Outside shots just come naturally to Porzingis thanks to his sweet stroke. Whether it’s a pull-up or set shot, there’s no part of the floor that he can’t score from.

And when he’s looking to take a shot off the dribble, he isn’t afraid to use the glass either. Plenty of times during the Summer League Porzingis banked in runners off the glass, something he looks to do more often than not.

Having that kind of shot in his arsenal will bode well for him moving forward, as it will make him nearly unguardable in a lot of halfcourt situations. If defenders play up on him, he can take them off the dribble and finish off the backboard or with a layup.

But if they give him too much space? He can easily connect on catch-and-shoot opportunities, something he did quite often within the Knicks’ offense this summer.

The NBA today is all about being able to space the floor and hit on easy three-point opportunities, and Porzingis gives the Knicks a valuable weapon who can do that effectively at the power forward position. Yes, the Knicks used him as a center in Summer League, but that was because they didn’t have a true center in any of those lineups, leaving Porzingis with those duties because he was the tallest player on the team.

It did give him good experience of having to go up against more traditional big men like Jahlil Okafor, but he will most certainly be dealing with smaller defenders during the regular season, potentially even seeing some minutes at the small forward spot thanks to his jump shot.

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When Porzingis adds more muscle to his body and gets stronger, he will be much more dangerous because he will be able to play in the paint for much longer stretches of time. He held is own over the summer down low, not backing down to bigger players and getting the edge on them at times, but against real NBA big men he won’t be able to be effective the entire game. Porzingis has a nice touch inside, but he will have to get used to the physicality of the game in order to take full advantage of it.

Outside of his potential physical struggles, Porzingis is a smart player capable of reading the offense and making the right play. He’s going to have his mistakes adjusting to the game as a rookie, but even as an exclusive catch-and-shoot player he could put up valuable numbers for New York’s offense. There just aren’t many players with his size and shooting touch, so it will be interesting to see how other teams plan around his strengths.

The real question will be just how fast Porzingis can grasp the triangle offense that will be used by head coach Derek Fisher at the request of Jackson. The triangle centers on a big man capable of being able to score or pass, a talented wing scorer who can get a basket when the offense breaks down and a guard who can reliably shoot the basketball outside the arc from the pass by any of the other four players on the floor.

Porzingis has the mobility necessary to dip and dive out of cuts and the face-up game to make plays out of the post, making him a potentially strong fit in the team’s offense. But will he be able to make the reads off of the defense effectively to put the offense in proper motion?

Defense

This is the area of the game that Porzingis has the most room to grow because of his strength limitations, but he will certainly still have an impact because of his height and length.

Porzingis can block shots in bunches, as showcased both overseas and in the Summer League. He tends to react well to the offense and how they’re moving the basketball and rotating their players, giving him the opportunity to rotate and help the weak side of the defense. Once he’s there, chances are he’s going to at least affect and change the shot of the offense, and best-case scenario he blocks it and helps his team get out on the break for an easy score.

In terms of playing his man one-on-one, he has the lateral quickness to stay in front of smaller defenders, but bigger guys in the low post will give him problems because of their likely advantages in size and strength. In time, this will become less of a problem for Porzingis as he adds to his own body, but it will be a concern at least this season.

Outside of that, Porzingis is a smart defender capable of protecting the rim for the Knicks who didn’t have a lot of that last season. Between him and Lopez, New York should be adding a lot more blocked shots to the stat sheets.

Conclusion

Will Porzingis be a star in his rookie year? Never say never, but most likely he won’t be because of the adjustments he will need to make to the NBA game. Nevertheless, he’s an excellent option in the pick-and-pop game and could potentially be the triangle big man Jackson has been looking for because of his ability to shoot along with his feel for the game.

The Knicks will use him the most in catch-and-shoot opportunities until he gets a better grasp of the motion offense, but even then he should get enough open looks with scorers like Anthony and Afflalo on the floor.

And with a penetrating point guard like Grant to hog the defense’s attention in the lane, it should bring the help defense into the lane, giving Porzingis enough space on the perimeter to knock down an easy shot attempt.

Porzingis is the modern stretch-four, only with a lot more upside. If he continues to polish his game and add muscle to his body, he could certainly be the second coming of Nowitzki, or maybe something even greater.

Predicted 2015-16 Stat Line: 12.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.1 AST, 1.2 BPG, 46 FG%, 37 3P%

Next: Calderon Staying Put, For Now

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