New York Knicks: The Unicorn Kristaps Porzingis returns to MSG

Kristaps Porziņģis is making his first return to Madison Square Garden as a member of the Dallas Mavericks against the New York Knicks.

About nine months after the New York Knicks surprisingly traded Kristaps Porziņģis before the trade deadline to the Dallas Mavericks, he will make his return to Madison Square Garden.

This time, Porziņģis will have to face the home crowd and and try to come away with a win that eluded them during their last matchup in Dallas. In that first meeting, Porziņģis recorded 28 points, nine rebounds, five blocks, 11-for-22 from the field, 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line in thirty-six minutes of action.

Before fouling out late in their last meeting, “The Unicorn” was having his second-best game of the season. Fizdale needs to make some adjustments to prevent another big performance from the twenty-four-year-old Latvian. In nine games played, Porziņģis is averaging 18.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.4 blocks, 40.1 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, 68.4 percent from the charity stripe, in thirty-one minutes a game.

While Porziņģis is averaging below his career averages in points and shooting percentages in comparison to his last season with the Knicks, he is sharing the floor with another superstar in Luka Dončić, which will take some time adjusting before playing at his best.

The Knicks’ last win – which was against the Mavericks and ended up being quite a nail-biter, will expectedly result in Porziņģis and Dončić being even more aggressive this time around at MSG.

On the other hand, expect the Knicks to not make it easy for Porziņģis and Dončić to completely dominate the game, which will make for another exciting matchup like their previous meeting.

Final thoughts

It seems somehow fitting that out of all the teams Porziņģis could have ended up on, he does so on a team that has a horse as its logo. So in terms of branding, both the Mavericks and KP can benefit  from using “The Unicorn” for years to come.

If only the Knicks brass invested in Porziņģis like the Mavericks have done and certainly will continue to do, the entire franchise would be in a much more positive position today.

Due to the circumstances and history between the two teams, the game will be nationally televised on TNT tonight at 8 PM ET.

While Steve Mills and Scott Perry were able to push the Knicks in an (slightly) upward trajectory during the offseason, they failed to put the Knicks in the best position to be competitive and build a strong roster around Porziņģis for the future.

Despite what occurred between Kristaps Porziņģis and the Knicks, he should be welcomed with a warm reception. But once the game begins, all bets are off.