Forget the future: Kristaps Porzingis is the here and now

Kristaps Porzingis has been dominant for the New York Knicks this season, despite a sub-par supporting cast and hugely increased role

Before this season started, I was a Kristaps Porzingis doubter.

I know, that put me in the minority of NBA fans. But while everyone was excited to see him as the number one scoring option for the New York Knicks, I was concerned. Not only would he be the first option, but the second and third as well.

A young big man as a featured player is one thing. A young big man as a featured player on a team like this is another thing altogether.

It didn’t seem sustainable to force-feed Porzingis the ball when his best three teammates were Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Enes Kanter. After all, it’s hard to score when the opposition can largely ignore most other players on the court.

And in his isolation opportunities last season (as limited as they were with Carmelo Anthony around), Porzingis floundered. From 1.5 isolation possessions per game, he scored just 34.4 percent of the time, and ranked in the 29th percentile of NBA players.

So, in summary: young big man, low efficiency, bad teammates, too much responsibility.

Have you got all of that? Good. Now forget it all and just watch a Knicks game.

Kristaps Porzingis is legit, even more so than anyone thought. Six games is a tiny sample size, but his production has been elite.

He’s averaging 29.3 points per game (third in the league), and doing so while shooting a high volume of shots at a decent clip (47.8% FG, 36.4% 3PT).

He’s also leading the league in usage rate, as 35.1 percent of New York’s possessions have ended in a Porzingis play. That’s a huge burden for a young player to shoulder, but he’s doing it phenomenally well.

His efficiency is all the more impressive when he’s shooting a lot of contested jump shots and threes. At 7-foot-3, he’s able to simply shoot over defenders, rather than trying to go around them.

In this play, Kevin Love does a pretty good job of closing out on Porzingis, but short of being inside his jersey he can’t alter the shot at all. It’s fast becoming a common issue for opposing players.

While many players struggle to find a balance between offense and defense, Porzingis has had no such troubles. His career-high offensive numbers have been matched by impressive defensive work, as he’s in the top ten in the league for blocks per game (1.7).

Perhaps most importantly, the Knicks haven’t been terrible. Despite a roster that could just as easily be a waiver list, they’ve found themselves with a respectable 3-3 record and statement wins over the Nuggets and Cavs.

There’s little to no chance of the Knicks staying at .500 for the rest of the season. But they could challenge the over/under prediction of 30.5 wins.

Their season, and their future, is in Porzingis’ hands. That’s a lot of pressure for a guy in only his third season, but so far he’s dealing with it OK.

Since his rookie season, it’s been clear to all that Porzingis is a special talent with oodles of potential.

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What we didn’t realise was how close that potential was to blossoming. Well, now we know; right here, and right now, Kristaps Porzingis is a star.