N.Y. Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis Pinpoint Rookie's Biggest Weaknesses

NEW YORK — Missing the playoffs is an irrefutable disappointment for the New York Knicks, but the 2015-16 campaign has been a smashing success for rookie Kristaps Porzingis on an individual level. 

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 draft is averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.9 blocks per game in just 28.4 minutes per night. Only 13 other rookies in NBA history have hit those benchmarks, per Basketball-Reference.com. Last Thursday, he became the first rookie in the history of the league to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 75 three-pointers and 100 blocks.  

He is a rare talent and a potential two-way superstar. It took Carmelo Anthony a mere two months to declare Porzingis the future of the Knicks. 

“He’s going to lead this organization long after I’m retired,” Anthony said in November of 2015, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Getting to that level will require hard, focused work, but Porzingis seems to possess the right attitude.

"I always see my weaknesses. I never really focus on my strengths," Porzingis said. "My strengths just come naturally, and my weaknesses—I always watch film—speak to my brothers, speak to the coaches."

After talking to Porzingis, head coach Kurt Rambis and more people around the Knicks, I've narrowed down a few areas he can target to take the next step. 

Outside Shooting: Improvement Is Inevitable

He just needs reps. 'Zinger has a smooth, easy stroke and a quick release for a 7'3" mountain—a release that does not change no matter how deep beyond the arc he goes. 

Players tend to improve their shooting from deep throughout the course of their careers, and that has been especially true for high-volume three-point shooters who come to the NBA from Europe.

As the Wall Street Journal's Chris Herring noted earlier this season, the 10 NBA players who have come to the NBA directly from Europe over the last 20 years and who attempted at least 1,000 threes have seen their three-point percentage rise by an average of 8.2 percent from their rookie season over the course of their careers. 

That type of improvement would bring Porzingis from a 33.3 percent clip to 41.5 percent, making him one of the best outside marksmen in the league. Even settling in somewhere in the high 30s would make him a different kind of player. 

Interior Offense: 'I've Got To Be Able To Play in the Post'

This is the area of his game that needs the most improvement right now.

Despite his 7'3" frame, Porzingis has made only 40.5 percent of his shots out of the post this season, per NBA.com, which ranks 48th out of 54 players who have registered at least 100 post-up possessions. He is shooting only 57.1 percent in the restricted area, which is 3.1 percent worse than the league average, per NBA.com. (He's made only 43.6 percent of his layups.) He's also at only 32.3 percent in the back half of the paint, which is 7.8 percent worse than the average NBA player. 

Remarkably, he's collected nearly two-thirds of potential points on drives to the basket, per NBA.com's SportVU tracker, despite making only 20 of 60 shots off the drive. The fact that he is an ace free-throw shooter is his saving grace in that area. 

With his size, shooting touch and short-area quickness, operating out of the post should be a strength, not a weakness. Porzingis singled out his post game as his biggest area for offensive improvement. 

"One of those things is, if I want to be a really good player in the triangle, I've got to be able to play in the post," Porzingis said. "My game now is basically just a face-up game. So that's one thing I really want to work on, learn from [Robin Lopez], for example, his hook shot. If I can add that to my game, that would really help us."

Opponents too often push him off his spot, necessitating a longer shot than necessary. He's skilled enough to turn some of those plays into baskets, as he does in the video below against Kevin Love, but it shouldn't have to come to that in the first place:

"That's something that I'm trying to get adjusted to, learning how to play against defenders that are really aggressive. That's what they're trying to do now—just be physical, get into my body, be lower than me," Porzingis said. "I've got to be lower than them to be able to attack at the point where they get really close to me. It's a learning experience for me."

Turnovers have also been an issue. Out of that same group of 54 players with at least 100 post-ups, Porzingis ranks 21st in percentage of post-ups that end with him giving the ball to the other team. Those giveaways most often happen when he puts the ball on the floor and doesn't see a defender digging down to reach into his dribble. 

Being more aware and becoming a better passer from that floor location will help. The ideal result of a post-up isn't necessarily always a shot. You want to throw the ball down there to force teams to send an extra defender, which can open things up elsewhere.

Once Porzingis becomes a good enough scorer in the post, he'll see consistent double-teams. When that happens, he has to be ready to make a quick decision and a good pass to keep the offense moving. 

Defense: 'I Have To Adjust to Each Player'

Porzingis has already made a positive contribution to point prevention. Most of that comes from his rim protection. He ranks fourth in the league in blocked shots and 15th in points saved per 36 minutes, per Nylon Calculus. 

Luckily for the Knicks, he does not figure to be only a rim protector in the future. Rambis says he envisions Porzingis as the rare type of player who can switch 1 through 5.  

"He's got the mobility and the length to deal with guards," Rambis said.

He already acquits himself well. He's dealt with the likes of LeBron James on a few different switches in New York's matchups with the Cleveland Cavaliers, stripping him on the way up one time and forcing a step-back jumper on another. 

"In the future, I want to be a 5 man who can switch in late games and guard little guys, guards," Porzingis said. "Guarding LeBron, I would rather give him the shot than let him drive to the basket. When he shoots, I want to close out hard. There are some guys you have to be really close. I have to adjust to each player."

That is advanced thinking for a young defensive player. He knows that he should play LeBron for the drive instead of the shot. And even though he's a big man who could get beaten off the dribble by smaller, quicker players, he knows he will have to play up on some of them. 

The versatility to deal with different types of players is there; he just has to get used to defending bigs who spend their time around the arc rather than on the interior. Love victimized him twice in a recent game against the Cavaliers. 

"You cannot move and watch the flight of the ball," Rambis said of Porzingis' relative struggles in this area. "You have to move on the pass. It is an adjustment for him. He will learn and get better. There are not a whole lot of opportunities for him to do that in ballgames. He will get there."

The Way Forward: 'Carry This Organization'

Much like Porzingis, Carmelo Anthony was a high lottery pick who had a successful rookie season and hopes of being a future star. He has since become that and more. 

Recalling the first summer after his rookie season, Anthony said, "I think I watched all my games from that first season. It was a lot of film, and it was talking to guys and evaluating my game and realizing that I needed to be stronger to go up against the guys that I was going up against. Not just physically, but mentally."

Anthony said he hasn't given Porzingis tips on summer improvement, not wanting to think about that until the season is officially over. But as he has throughout the year, he's willing to be a sounding board. Porzingis wants to learn post moves from Anthony, and Melo is willing to teach him some. But it's the mental part of improving his game that will be the most taxing for Porzingis. 

"It's more difficult. You come into the league at 19, being thrown the organization and say, 'Carry this organization,'" Anthony said. "There was a lot on my plate and a lot to be figured out. I realized that if I can be stronger mentally, then the basketball part would become easier."

Porzingis already has much of the basketball part down, the same way Anthony did. There are a few areas that need improvement, but he's demonstrated in his short career the capacity to quickly turn weaknesses into strengths. He should be able to continue doing that in the future.