25-under-25: Kristaps Porzingis at No. 5
The Step Back is rolling out its 25-under-25 list over the next two days. Follow along with our rankings of the top 25 players under the age of 25.
Coming in hot at the No. 5 spot on our 25 under 25 list is the Unicorn himself, Kristaps Porzingis.
At 7-foot-3, Porzingis has the tools to be a dynamic offensive player that can stretch the floor from the five spot, while simultaneously barricading opponents at the rim. He, Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid are really the only players in the league with that kind of potential. The Zinger has shown flashes of that game-changing potential throughout his two NBA seasons; so much so that he thoroughly deserves to rank fifth on this list, despite coming off of a somewhat disappointing 2017 campaign.
His raw numbers improved in many categories last season, but that was mostly due to an uptick in minutes per game. In terms of production rate, Porzingis wasn’t much better than in his rookie year. He knocked down midrangers at about the same rate as 2016, although his finishing at the rim greatly increased. Perhaps most importantly, his 3-point shooting improved from 33.3 percent to 35.7 percent on a greater volume of shots. However, the rest of his offensive game plateaued. His free throw rate, assist rate and offensive rebound rate all stayed almost the same. When compared to fellow youngsters like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Towns and Nikola Jokic, Porzingis’ offensive game is clearly a step below theirs.
On the other end, Porzingis has shown some promise despite playing within New York’s dumpster fire of a defense. They ranked in the league’s bottom five in points allowed per 100 possessions. Individually, Porzingis finished fourth in the NBA in shots challenged within six feet (minimum of 2.0 challenged per game) and was 10th in field goal percentage allowed on those shots per NBA.com. He’s not good enough to buoy a whole defense by himself, but he’s definitely ahead of Towns and miles ahead of Jokic in that facet of the game right now.
Don’t get me wrong: Porzingis was still effective last year, but his growth has definitely slowed down given his insane potential. Much of that developmental stagnation is due to the bizarre circus that is the Knicks organization. The addition of Derrick Rose to the Knicks last year, Phil Jackson’s obsession with the triangle and the incessant off-court drama in New York hurt his ability to produce on the court.
First of all, Porzingis was born to be a pick-and-roll nightmare. He’s well above 7-feet tall and can shoot the lights out if he gets good looks. But the Knicks rarely ran Porzingis pick-and-rolls. The were too busy trying to install the antiquated triangle offense. Over the past few seasons the Knicks have consistently ranked toward bottom of the league in pick-and-roll frequency, which means they aren’t utilizing Porzingis’ greatest offensive strength. The Knicks offense with Rose as the lead ball handler led to stagnancy and heaps of inefficient midrangers. With Rose and Melo hoarding ball handling duties, Porzingis’ usage rate slightly dipped from its 2016 level when it should have increased.
Things got even stranger for Porzingis once the season finished. One of the final acts of the tragicomic Phil Jackson administration was to aggressively test his trade value before the 2017 NBA Draft. This act was the culmination in a series of ridiculous comments made by Jackson that openly alienated the young star. Now Jackson is finally out and the triangle offense is gone for good. Porzingis can hopefully get back on track and make a leap this coming season.
Next: 25-under-25 -- The best young players in the NBA
We need to see what Porzingis can do when a team’s offense is tailored around his strengths. Whether or not that happens will largely depend on the outcome of the Melo saga. If Anthony leaves New York, Porzingis will finally be the unquestioned leader of the Knicks. Coaching schemes will also play a major role here. How will Jeff Hornacek choose to play now that Jackson is gone? Will the Knicks actually run pick-and-rolls to get the Zinger the shots that he thrives on? With news surfacing that Porzingis and Hornacek have a somewhat rocky relationship, answers to these questions remain largely unknown.
At the very least, the exits of Jackson and Rose should help Porzingis. With more usage he’ll get a chance to expand his game and take on a greater offensive load. He’ll have an opportunity to build on the incremental improvements he made last year. His two-way potential makes him one of the most special young guys in the league. Porzingis is only 22 and the Knicks fan base adores him. For the first time in ages, New York has a young cornerstone that they can build around.
Now let’s hope the Knicks don’t screw things up.