New York Knicks Have Figured Out How To Use Kristaps Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony

New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher has figured out a rotation that makes the best use of Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Prozingis, and others, according to the New York Daily News.

When the New York Knicks initially drafted Kristaps Porzingis, many figured that it would be years before he would be a regular part of the rotation because he was such a raw player.

Well, the Latvian rookie forward decided that he was not going to wait to become a star in the NBA. Kristaps Porzingis has forced himself into the New York Knicks player rotation.

Since Derek Fisher and the New York Knicks coaches did not figure he was going to develop this fast, they weren’t concerned about how he was going to fit with Carmelo Anthony.

Things worked out pretty well at the start of the NBA regular season, as Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis quickly figured out a way to coexist and thrive on the floor together.

Ever the perfectionist, Derek Fisher believed deep down in his heart that there was still a better way to utilize both Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis in his player rotation.

Derek Fisher knew that the New York Knicks would be at their best if they had either Carmelo Anthony or Kristaps Porzingis, their two best scorers, on the floor throughout the game.

In order to accomplish that, Derek Fisher decided to pull Kristaps Porzingis off the floor earlier than normal. Doing that allowed him to rest while Carmelo Anthony does the scoring.

Another advantage of doing that is that the New York Knicks assistant coaches can have time to talk with Kristaps Porzingis and let him know what he is and isn’t doing well out there.

New York Knicks center Robin Lopez likes the quick substitution because it clears the floor for him a little more. Lopez has increasingly improved as a solid low post scorers as of late.

For Carmelo Anthony, it meant that he gets to be paired up with a smaller forward who can defend quicker perimeter players. Lance Thomas has filled that role capably this season.

Whenever it gets close to time for Carmelo Anthony to take a breather on the bench, Derek Fisher puts Kristaps Porzingis back on the floor as the top New York Knicks scoring threat.

Since Kristaps Porzingis is playing the center position with Robin Lopez on the bench, he can use his athleticism and offensively dominate inferior second unit big men in the NBA.

Kristaps Porzingis will eventually become the New York Knicks franchise player and top scorer some day, so letting him dominate NBA players will help build up his confidence a lot.

Another thing that this rotation does for Derek Fisher is that it enables him to pair up Lance Thomas and Kristaps Porzingis inside, which helps against teams playing small ball lineups.

If teams opt for a more traditional front court, then the New York Knicks can put Lance Thomas on the perimeter and pair Kristaps Porzingis with Derrick Williams or Kyle O’Quinn.

A versatile rotation that is balanced is something that every NBA head coach wants to have on his team. The New York Knicks are fortunate that they now have that type of player rotation.

While this rotation is working out well for the New York Knicks, don’t be shocked if Derek Fisher switches to something else, especially if he feels that he can get bigger advantages.

At the end of the day, New York Knicks fans just want to see the team winning games. Derek Fisher is trying to figure out how to deliver that.

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