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Kristaps Porzingis is the Real Deal

After a dismal season for the New York Knicks last year, things seem to be on the upside for the first time in over a decade. In Phil Jackson‘s first season as President of Basketball Operations in New York, the team struggled mightly and only pulled out 17 wins for the whole year. The upside t0 all this: The Knicks landed the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft. The Knicks were a franchise desperate for a hero, someone that could save them from the years of mediocrity. And that someone is Latvian prodigy Kristaps Porzingis

Kristaps Porzingis is the Real Deal

The Good Kid in the Mad City

Kristaps Porzingis is bringing a new brand of basketball stardom to the NBA and is the future of the New York Knicks organization. He’s the good kid in the mad city. The 7’3″ power forward stormed onto the basketball scene this season. People wanted to hate him and for Phil Jackson’s gamble to take the unknown Latvian assassin to flop. As the Knicks endured their worst season in franchise history (17-65), Gotham City screamed for the Knicks to take Duke center Jahlil Okafor. They trademarked the slogan “Tank for Okafor”. Okafor seemed like the clear cut best player in the draft, coming off a National Championship at Duke.

The dream to bring the big man to the Mecca became just that, a dream, when the Knicks were awarded the fourth pick in the draft. As it became more and more evident that the Minnesota Timberwolves would take Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns, the hopes of bringing Okafor to New York rose again. Then, just like that, they were crushed when the Philadelphia 76ers took the Duke star at number three. Now, the Knicks options were limited. The top three prospects (Towns, Okafor,  and D’Angelo Russell) were now all off the table.

It seemed like the Knicks would have two viable options here. Either take Emmanuel Mudiay, the point guard from the Congo, or Duke forward Justice Winslow, to compliment Carmelo Anthony. Instead, Phil Jackson would play a wildcard. He would gamble on taking Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis, unproven, got quite the reaction. Boos cast toward the 19-year-old were heard around the world. Phil, who had already led the Knicks to a franchise worst season, might have just made the ultimate mistake.

Zen Master Strikes Gold

Despite what the media led many to believe, Phil Jackson knew what he is doing. Picking Porzingis was no mistake, and Porzingis was not a three-year project that people believed he would be. Porzingis was dominating the hardwood by his first game in the league, and it was evident across the association. Porzingis showed he was very capable of scoring inside, outside, and everywhere in between.

Even though he was undersized (weight, not height), he wasn’t afraid to body up the league’s best big men. And he wasn’t just boxing them out. He was rising up and dunking on them. He wasn’t afraid to get in faces if need be, i.e. Kent Bazemore and Jason Smith. The maturity right from the get-go was massive. Not to mention going through a head coaching change midway through the year (Derek Fisher to Kurt Rambis). Although he maybe wasn’t as impressive as Karl-Anthony Towns, he showed he will be a force in the league for years to come.

Numbers Don’t Lie

The ‘Zinger’ had an impressive stat line, as seen below. These stats are per game, courtesy of basketball-reference.com.

Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2015-16 20 NYK NBA PF 72 72 28.4 5.2 12.3 .421 1.1 3.4 .333 4.1 8.9 .454 .467 2.8 3.3 .838 1.8 5.5 7.3 1.3 0.7 1.9 1.7 2.8 14.3
Career NBA 72 72 28.4 5.2 12.3 .421 1.1 3.4 .333 4.1 8.9 .454 .467 2.8 3.3 .838 1.8 5.5 7.3 1.3 0.7 1.9 1.7 2.8 14.3
Porzingis missed 10 games due to a health issue as well as some leg soreness, but nothing serious. He averaged 14.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Those stats already are extremely impressive, and the only place he is going is up. He can really become elite years before the average players “prime”. Experts of the game pin Porzingis as an elite player by 24-25, versus the usual age of about 27-28. If this becomes reality, we could be seeing New York as an elite team (given other pieces fall into place, i.e., draft picks/free agency) within the Carmelo Anthony Era.

Going Forward

Not the Hero Gotham Deserves, but the One it Needs

New York fans have suffered for decades watching a team play mediocre basketball. The Knicks hadn’t had solid management or coaching for the better part of a decade, and now they may have a solution. The team recently hired Jeff Hornecek to take over the helm of the Knickerbockers. This will be Porzingis’s third head coach since joining the Knicks, which is remarkable considering he’s only played one full season. Porzingis will only get better, which should scare NBA teams. He’ll be a free agent after this season, but the Knicks can exercise their two year team option and retain ‘Zinger’ for another two years following next season.

 Carmelo Anthony

 Carmelo Anthony is still the franchise player of the Knicks, and he and Porzingis compliment each other well. Between pick-and-rolls and kick outs, the two make a deadly combo. As far as ‘Melo’s future is concerned, he should be in New York during KP’s prime years, which will benefit both of them. ‘Melo still has at least another two years of consistent production.

 Beyond

Long term, the Knicks hit a home run. Porzingis is the real deal. He can seriously become a major threat in the NBA, so watch out for him. He’s on the rise, and with some good signings and a couple draft picks, New York could contend with him as the cornerstone in the next couple years. Get ready NBA, for Porzingis is here to stay.
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