New York Knicks: 2017-18 player grades for Kristaps Porzingis

Weaknesses

Kristaps Porzingis has all the qualities of a leader, now he’ll just need to bring the fire on both ends. Porzingis turned in a defensive rating of 108.5 and a net rating of -9.3 in losses this past season. His offensive rating took a massive hit as well, coming in at 99.

Part of it has to do with his lack of presence in the paint on defense. He did average 2.4 blocks per game but at a solid 7’3″, he only achieved five double-doubles in his 48 appearances this past season. His season was cut short, but he turned in single-digits in double-doubles for the first time in his career. He averaged 6.6 rebounds per game, a slight dip from the 7.2 he averaged in 2016-17.

It’s no secret the Knicks frontcourt was thin in 2017-18, so it’s paramount that Porzingis does more to take care of the glass. He’ll be sidelined for an extended amount of time, so part of his rehab process could be packing on more muscle.

Porzingis’ return can also be considered a weakness from the Knicks’ standpoint. The team went 6-26 without him in the lineup in 2017-18. They have a lottery pick coming up in the 2018 NBA Draf, so their main focus should be adding another piece to build around Porzingis.