The New York Knicks have big plans for second-year forward Kristaps Porzingis as they hope he can flourish under Jeff Hornacek.
The New York Knicks will have a lot of eyes on them during the 2016-17 season. They added a lot of veterans in the offseason, led by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings. Carmelo Anthony now has some veteran teammates to help carry the leadership burden with, as he was happy with Phil Jackson‘s moves this offseason.
Arguably the biggest key to the Knicks success this season is the development of Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis surprised a lot of people during his rookie season, averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Karl-Anthony Towns, and people are expecting even more in his second season.
Porzingis put in a lot of work during the offseason so that he could improve in his sophomore year. New head coach Jeff Hornacek spoke highly of the progress Porzingis was making during training camp. Hornacek said that Porzingis had improved his jump shot and that the strength he was adding was already paying off.
We got to see Porzingis show off his offseason work for the first time this past week. The Knicks kicked off their preseason against the Houston Rockets in a blowout loss. But, Porzingis played extremely well, as he led the way with 22 points. He shot 8-of-11 from the field, knocking down 5-of-6 three-pointers.
It was an outstanding 2016-17 debut, as we got a glimpse at how the Knicks plan to use Porzingis this season. One thing Hornacek will bring that Derek Fisher and Kurt Rambis didn’t is the pick-and-roll. They plan on putting Porzingis in pick-and-roll situations throughout the season along with pick-and-pops. Hornacek says they will mix it up, and it is something that they will benefit from.
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According to Synergy Sports, Porzingis produced 1.034 points per play when used in pick-and-pop scenarios, which ranked in the 79th percentile. He was on the shooting end of a pick-and-pop 88 times last season, or a little over once per game. Per Synergy Sports, Pau Gasol, known for his pick-and-pop abilities, was in that situation 206 times; so it is fair to believe Porzingis should see increases there this upcoming season.
In addition to the added pick-and-roll attempts, Porzingis, and his teammates in general, should benefit from a different approach from the point guard position. Last season, Jose Calderon averaged only 0.9 assists per game to Porzingis; Carmelo Anthony, the top assist man on the team, averaged 0.8.
It is only one preseason game, but Porzingis was assisted by Rose and Jennings on five of his eight makes. If those two can stay healthy, Porzingis should see plenty of opportunities as both are capable of getting into the paint and breaking down opponents defenses.
Rose and Jennings should get Porzingis more open looks this season, increasing his efficiency overall. It is a chemistry and connection that both Rose and Jennings said they are working on, as they know they need to get the most out of Porzingis.
People are worried that Porzingis could be phased out of the offense a bit with the additions the Knicks made. Anthony and Rose are both ball dominating players, but Hornacek’s scheme should open up more chances for everyone to score.
It is not something that Porzingis is worried about, as he just wants the team to win games. “I always put the team first. I want to see us in the playoffs. That’s the No. 1 thing in my mind,” Porzingis said recently. “If that happens I’m going to be happy, and the individual success will come with that.”
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That is exactly what you want to hear from a young player. Porzingis understands the big picture; if the team is successful he in turn will be as well. The Knicks have some goals and expectations this season and Porzingis will be a big part of them reaching them.