INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Where Does Knicks’ Sudden Rebuild Leave Kristaps Porzingis?

By Ty OKeefe
Published on: 15:09 PST, Jul 5, 2016

Six months ago, breakout rookie Kristaps Porzingis was quieting his critics as a member of the Derek Fisher-led New York Knicks who were flirting with the.500 mark thanks to a rare, 6-2 run before beginning their second-half slide into a 32-50 finish and a future full of question marks.

Now, two head coaches, a former league MVP, an affordable shooting guard, a backup floor-general, and a proven low-post presence later, the Knicks have answered many of those questions due to a Yankee-like rebuild that has the team’s fan-base dreaming big. But New York’s star-studded facelift has also created a few new questions, and the most significant of those questions surround the future of the franchise’s 20-year-old superstar.

A league-wide surprise as a rookie, Porzingis was one of the very few bright spots on last year’s Knicks, becoming an instant fan-favorite due to a steady supply of hustle and solid defense leading to first-year averages of 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks during a 72-game season that was cut short by a shoulder injury.

But Porzingis produced those numbers and showed that potential while playing alongside only one other superstar — Carmelo Anthony. And if the 21.8 points and 18 shots per game that Anthony averaged last season weren’t new Knick lows for the Olympian, and ‘Melo hadn’t taken such a liking to the youngster, Porzingis simply wouldn’t have had the same opportunity to succeed as a rookie.

Although team president Phil Jackson was expecting to add a few new faces this summer, including a new head coach, nobody thought that The Zen Master would ever be able to attract the type of talent that he’s added with the very recent acquisitions of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings, and head coach Jeff Hornacek.

But after such a significant overhaul of New York’s roster, Porzingis will now have to re-establish himself as one of the team’s primary offensive weapons in training camp if he’s going to continue developing into an elite forward. And even if Porzingis somehow manages to convince the newest Knicks that he’s a reliable scoring option who deserves to have the ball in his hands, his offensive numbers are still guaranteed to take a hit.

As usual, Porzingis only focused on the positive when he spoke to the media while attending this past weekend’s NBA Summer League action in Orlando, and was clearly excited about the prospect of playing with his new teammates.

“Those are really good additions to the team. They will help us win games for sure. Honestly, I can’t wait for the season to start already,” said Porzingis via the New York Post. “Watching videos back in my room, oh man, I can’t wait to get back on the court, especially now we have new additions and [will] be better as a team.”

More specifically, Porzingis sounded extremely pleased about Rose’s arrival, and after playing in New York’s “static” offense as a rookie, the Latvian sensation is looking forward to pushing the pace with a former league MVP at the point.

“Knowing the level of player Derrick Rose is, I’m sure he’s going to help us at the guard position,” said Porzingis via Newsday. “I love his game, how explosive he is, how quick he is and how he runs in transition. That’s going to help us play faster and not just be static all the time. I think he’s going to help us win.”

Last season, center Robin Lopez was a perfect fit alongside Porzingis due to his defense-first approach, old-school style of play, and an understanding of his limited role in the team’s offense. In fact, Lopez played a huge role in the import’s rookie success, and if Jackson wouldn’t have found the ultimate replacement in Noah, Porzingis may have spent much of the upcoming campaign roaming the paint and unable to gain valuable experience as a stretch forward with a deadly outside jumper.

Luckily, and of course, if he stays healthy, Noah won’t just provide New York with a respected rim protector and solid passer out of the low-post, he’ll also act as an on-court mentor to Porzingis while allowing the young big man to focus mainly on his offensive development.

A classic hustle forward during his own NBA career, Jackson sounded confident while speaking to the media at Orlando’s Amway Center last weekend that the addition of a player like Noah will only help Porzingis in the long run.

“I think that this guy [Noah] will be a good mentor,” said Jackson via the New York Post. “I think he has the ability to coach him in his own regard as a player-to-player type situation. He’s partnered up with Pau Gasol a couple years in Chicago, and I think those things are telling in a young guy’s education in the NBA.”

But if Anthony [19.6 fga] and Rose [17.0 fga] continue to shoot as much as they always have, they’ll combine for approximately 37 shots per game, and the addition of Lee and Jennings will only cut further into Porzingis’ shot count — which hovered around just 12 per game last season.

Dramatically booed on draft night and labelled a “unicorn” by one of the greatest players of today’s game, Porzingis is heading into a crucial year of his NBA development and a season that will only be deemed an individual success if he takes another significant step toward becoming the future face of the franchise — and he can’t do that without the basketball.

But by adding so many new faces to play key roles on this suddenly talented team, Jackson has unintentionally sacrificed Porzingis’ development in an attempt to win now, and if this collection of new Knicks doesn’t directly lead to victories, the potential All-Star’s development will have been sacrificed for nothing.

[Photo By-Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

Share this article: Where Does Knicks’ Sudden Rebuild Leave Kristaps Porzingis?
new york knicks phil jackson Kristaps Porzingis Carmelo Anthony Derrick Rose Joakim Noah
More from Inquisitr