The Patience of Porzingis’ Development
Knicks fans want the leader of their team to be Kristaps Porzingis. However, patience is a virtue and fans must let Porzingis develop his own role in due time.
Knicks fans have been very vocal so far in the young season that they want more shots, more looks and more use from Kristaps Porzingis, but with Carmelo Anthony still performing at a high level, and Kristaps showing he has room for drastic improvement statistically, fans must be patient and let Porzingis develop at his own pace.
New York, under the leadership of Anthony, have been a less than stellar team, to say the least. The Knicks haven't made the playoffs three straight seasons and the only glimmer of hope during these dark times has lied with Porzingis. What is often forgotten is Porzingis is 21 years old, and while he had a surprising rookie season, it was nothing spectacular, and certainly was blown out of proportion due to the initial devastated response by many when he was drafted.
People immediately saw Frederic Weis when Porzingis was drafted. We couldn’t believe the Knicks ran the risk of taking a European player. Many booed, less, but definitely some, cried and we immediately collectively set the expectations low.
Then, something magical happened and Porzingis wasn’t terrible. He loved WorldStarHipHop.com, he was fun on Twitter, he could actually play the game of basketball at a competent level professionally, he hit game winners that didn’t count and a legend was born. Porzingod, Godzingis and The Unicorn became his alter-egos. He was in a commercial alongside Walt Frazier, Anthony and Spike Lee. He made this face.
It was great.
But what many failed to notice was as his fame grew, his play decreased.
According to NBA.com, his field goal percentage dropped from 42.6 percent to 40.8 after the all star break. He fell from 34.9 to 24.9 percent from beyond the arc. Rebounds dropped from 7.7 to 6.2 per game. Even his plus minus went from +0.9 to -1.8. Points did increase from 13.9 to 15.3, but according to all the stats above, were being recorded less efficiently.
His usage rate rose from 23.9 to 26.4 percent pre- and post- All-Star Break, but his offensive rebounding rate fell from 32.4 to 18.6 percent–a drastic declined likely due to him being set up further away from the hoop as a chance to score, still unproven at this time and still today as a true threat with his back to the basket.
Most importantly, an immeasurable statistic that was clear to anyone watching the game, he began to look uncomfortable on the court at times. His shot looked off on occasion and the non-forced fluidity and understanding of the game that shocked everyone was seen less frequently.
The drop in statistics had little effect on the Kristaps bandwagon, and expectations for the, at that time, 20-year-old were as high as ever. Mind you, Porzingis finished third in scoring, 23rd in field goal percentage and 12th in rebounds among qualifying rookies. Don’t get me wrong, he had some incredible moments but the initial surprise certainly outweighed the actual play.
Fans entered this past off-season ready to usher in a new generation of Knicks basketball but instead got injury prone players like Derrick Rose, washed up Joakim Noah, and re-signed Sasha Vujacic. People did not know what should be expected from this team, but the one constant in their mind was that Porzingis was going to be incredible. Hell, we at TKW dedicated an entire week to him.
With all the above being said, plus Derrick Rose and his god damn super-team prediction, expectations were set high, higher than they should have been. The team has struggled early on, but again, Porzingis ushers in the idea of hope.
He is off to a great start so far this season, and this has caused many fans to demand he gets more touches and more attention, but when he has been put in situations where he is the primary option on the court and forced to create for himself, statistics have shown he is not quite ready to be a dominant individual force just yet.
NBA.com tracking statistics from this season show Porzingis is shooting 52.2 percent on shots without taking a dribble and 40.7 percent on catch and shoot opportunities. Being that most of the catch and shoot chances are from beyond the arc or close to it, both those are impressive numbers. When he is forced to create for himself however, he has struggled, shooting 26.7 percent on shots with two dribbles and 25 percent on shots after three to six.
Tracking statistics also show that Porzingis is lucky to take the majority of his shots relatively open, with 50.5 percent of his field goal attempts this season coming with a defender a minimum of four to six feet away, defined by NBA.com as “open.” The shots he does take while being closely contested, a defender zero to two feet away, or “very tight,” he shoots only 31.3 percent.
In comparison, to see where most of opponents defender’s attention is likely being focused, 65.8 percent of Anthony’s shots are taken with a defender 0–4 feet away, with 17.1 percent being “very tight” and 48.7 percent as “tight.” Some may see this as ball-stopping and forcing, but 46.8 Carmelo’s field-goal percentage is his highest since the 2007–08 season, so I’m comfortable letting him do him. Especially when you consider passing tracking statistics.
These statistics show Porzingis receives 5.2 passes a game from Anthony, second to only Rose. On passes received from Anthony, Porzingis is shooting 50 percent from two and 42.3 percent from three, higher than his season average in both. What all of these statistics show is that Anthony is getting the ball to Porzingis in solid scoring opportunity positions, while forcing himself to take more difficult difficult looks. But the statistics also show Porzingis is not yet able to efficiently and consistently create his own shots.
Jeff Hornacek knows how to coach. Anthony has been throwing more passes to Porzingis per game than he has anyone else who isn’t Porzingis himself last year, or a Knicks point guard, since JR Smith in the 2013–14 season.
21 years old and originally estimated to not have a legitimate impact in the league or on this team until years from now, Porzingis is developing just fine and is still going to be a great player in this league, just give him time.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a good example. Last year Antetekoumpo was a raw talent that looked extraordinary at times but not quite ready to take the reigns. That changed as the season progressed and now the seven-footer is the team’s starting point guard and clear leader. Last year the Bucks struggled to find an identity and missed the playoffs, this year they seem poised to play more than 82 games.
Patience is key for individual development, see a trend here? Patience, people.
‘Melo said it best in an interview with Sportal.com before this season began.
“So just a matter of being smarter and learning the game a little more maybe. He still don’t know the game that much. He’s still young. He’s a second-year player. I think you put too much pressure on him to be great so fast.”
— Bailey Carlin, site writer
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