Check back next week for the final edition. Porzingis obviously will have a harder time when he has defenders in his face, but he performed well in the summer league and will get the chance to contribute this season.
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The Knicks picked the 7-1, 220 pound 19-year-old from Latvia fourth overall in June’s NBA Draft, the team’s highest selection since 1985. Though, the more I think about it, the more I think Krispy might have to spend ample time at the 4, particularly if Carmelo Anthony is going to once again insist on playing small forward.
The main player Gaines was promoting was Kristaps Porzingis, or “KP”, as Jackson says he liked to be called.
“What I saw made up my mind”, said Jackson.
Phil Jackson praised his quickness, his toughness, his soft shot and his basketball IQ.
However, one of the overlooked things about Porzingis from what we’ve seen is his wry humor that he shows off on occasion.
Moreover, the game has evolved to where Porzingis’ value isn’t really dependent on his ability to withstand brutal post-up backdowns.
Now overall, Jackson is still backing his pick and is positive about the young man’s upside. He pointed out that Porzingis has the footwork to stay in front of guards after switches, and that he can block shots.
“Like Shawn Bradley, who was nevertheless a pretty good player, KP might almost be too tall for the game”, Jackson said in ESPN’s The Phil Files.
“Like Shawn Bradley, who was nevertheless a pretty good player, K.P. might almost be too tall for the game”.
He went on, “What I mean is that his core strength might never be good enough, and that he might not be able to get low enough to get himself into prime defensive position to body power rebounders or drivers”.
But, for what it’s worth, Knicks president Phil Jackson unveiled why he was convinced that Porzingis is the perfect prospect for them.
The New York Knicks are counting on prototype forward Kristaps Porzingis to develop the soonest and bring brighter days back in The Big Apple. I know Jackson has to be diplomatic toward the veterans, but the guy Grant should be “competing” with is Jose Calderon. At worst he projects as something similar to Andrei Kirilenko, who had no problem with such assignments, and given the NBA’s emphasis on pick-and-roll defense, Porzingis being lighter of foot seems much more important than being able to muscle up to anyone.
Equally as impressive as Grant’s game, Jackson says, is his demeanor.
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Jackson admitted drafting Porzingis comes with some risk. “To me, that reveals a lot about his character”. This is however, another indicator that Jackson’s thinking might, not for sure, but might be a little outdated.
