Kristaps Porzingis is still comfortably in the conversation for a top-two finish in Rookie of the Year (that's Karl-Anthony Towns' award to lose at this point), but the Knicks star rookie has fallen off of late. With the Knicks losing four in a row and falling to 14-18, as well, Al Iannazzone wonders at Newsday when KP's shot will return:
The good news is that Porzingis has hardly been discouraged by this recent shooting slump. His usage rate over the last 10 games (24 percent) is nearly indistinguishable from that of the first 22 contests (24.3 percent). The efficiency is down, but the mind isn't. That's the sign of a strong mental makeup and a future scorer.
In some ways, the Knicks could take this as a positive sign. The shot will come back eventually. The fact that the confidence has never wavered is a strong, positive tell for the future.
He’s shooting 31.2 percent and averaging 10.3 points in those 10 games; he averaged 14.6 points and shot 46 percent from the field in the 22 games before that. Porzingis was 4-for-13 in Sunday’s loss at Boston.
“I’m getting a lot of looks and my teammates are giving me the ball,” Porzingis said. “They’re trusting my shots. They know I can make those shots. I’m just not making them. But I can feel it’s right there. It’s just in and out or a little long, little too short. It’s right there.
“It’s frustrating is what it is. But we’ve got to stay positive, stick together.”
