Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis, a fiery meteor setting the NBA sky ablaze for much of the first half of his rookie season, has unfortunately come back down to earth in the second half. Since the All-Star break, the Latvian is averaging 13.5 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game on just 39.3 percent shooting from the field.
On Friday, Knicks president Phil Jackson acknowledged that Porzingis has hit the proverbial rookie wall, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Phil on KP6: "Our kid hit the wall."
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) March 11, 2016
A steep learning curve was expected for the 20-year-old though, especially given his slender 7-foot-3, 240 lb. frame and that he was accustomed to playing seasons which lasted only about half as long in Europe. Also complicating matters for Porzingis was having to adjust to Knicks interim head coach Kurt Rambis after the firing of Derek Fisher last month.
Nevertheless, Porzingis’ recent struggles don’t negate the fact that he’s been nothing short of a godsend for the Knicks this season. Full assimilation into the NBA is a multi-year process no matter who you are, especially for international players. KP6 is still hotter than a ghost pepper in New York City and at 27-39 on the year, the Knicks can afford to let Porzingis make his inevitable mistakes so that he can develop his otherworldly two-way talent and fully embrace his destiny as an all-out destroyer of planets.
H/T NBA Reddit
