The New York Knicks are 3-4 and looking like an improved team. On the plus side, they are getting better. On the negative side, the team only won 17 games last season, so really they had to improve or be put into the D-League.
New York still looks poor for the most part, but there has been one shining star to this point; rookie Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian has electrified the fan base with his aggressive play and willingness to mix it up down low despite being 7-fooot-3 and only 240 pounds. Ian Begley of ESPN New York gives us an insight into Porzingis’ mindset.
"“As you can see, I’m still skinny, I’m still light. But I fight hard and I can’t back down to anybody,” said Porzingis. “So that’s been my game; a lot of people didn’t know my game. So that’s why they thought, ‘Skinny white guy, he’s not going to be physical.’ But I still fight for those rebounds and try to do my job on the court.”"
Porzingis amassed three double-doubles last week in four games, including one against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. His foul troubles have kept his numbers from truly skyrocketing, but the youngster has an opportunity to b the best player the Knicks have drafted since Patrick Ewing all the way back in 1985.
The scoring has also been punctuated by some highlight-reel plays, including this massive dunk over LaMarcus Aldridge on Monday night.
Power. Put-Back. Porzingis. #NBAVine https://t.co/18xGpkdBGr
— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2015
Porzingis is the massive silver lining on a team that will mostly be forgotten. New York is still trotting out a starting guard duo of Sasha Vujacic and Jose Calderon. If head “coach” Derek Fisher continues to put those two on the court in any capacity, he should be fired and an investigation by the FBI should follow.
The Knicks actually have another promising rookie in guard Jerian Grant, who they acquired on draft night from the Atlanta Hawks for Tim Hardaway Jr. Grant leads the team in assists per game (4.0) and is averaging 7.1 points per game in 22 minutes. For some ungodly reason, Fisher continues to put Vujacic and Calderon on the floor, who are combining for a 13.0 PER. Grant has a 12.8 PER on his own.
It stands to reason that when this team is remembered in 10 years at some kind of grotesque party, the eight fans who lived through it will talk about the emergence of Porzingis. The second topic will hopefully be how team president Phil Jackson stole Grant from Atlanta and secured a legitimate starting guard for the next decade.
The rest of the party will be lamenting how Fisher was kept on for the following three years, only to watch him make the same expressionless face while constantly looking over his shoulder for Matt Barnes.
Go New York, Go New York, Go.