Kristaps Porzingis had his first real struggles against the Raptors on Tuesday
Kristaps Porzingis has been fantastic through eight games as a rookie, averaging 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds a night. Heck, he's been impressive enough in limited playing time that he's turning per-36 numbers into a real trend in New York, just so the Knicks fans can show off exactly how quality his play has been in fewer than 24 minutes an evening.
It hasn't been all peaches and rose petals for the Zinger so far, though. Porzingis actually sat the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's game against the Raptors, which wasn't uncalled for considering his play. He wasn't making shots and finished just 3-for-11 from the field with eight points and six boards. But it was a big moment for KP, who hadn't been benched yet during his NBA career.
Here's more from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:
Everyone wants to compare Porzingis to Dirk. It's gotten to the point that people are going out of their ways to make the comparisons, even though there are clear differences (mainly on the defensive end) between the two players. Sure, they're both tall Europeans who like to shoot threes, but Dirk's game was differently stylistically than KP's, though people have seriously forgotten about young Dirk, who would go coast-to-coast and lead fast breaks far more often than he has over the past decade.
In the end, Porzingis will be just fine from this. The Knicks ended up beating the Raptors 111-109 to even up their season record at 4-4. They needed a win, and with the way Porzingis happened to be playing at the moment, they probably weren't going to get one by keeping him in the lineup.
He sat for all but one second of the fourth quarter and nearly blew the game in that brief appearance by bungling a rebound. Coach Derek Fisher rode the hot hand in Lance Thomas, playing a small lineup down the stretch with Porzingis on the bench.
“I thought the matchups favored us that way,” Fisher said. “And I thought that what Lance could do really helped us to secure this game tonight. Not because Kris couldn’t get the job done but Lance had a pretty good game going and Kris is a team guy. I don’t think he would have a problem with it. But there are going to be nights like that.”
Porzingis, who missed his first six shots, finished with eight points (3-of-11 shooting) and three turnovers in 20 minutes.
“Nowhere near Dirk (Nowitzki) yet, but he’s Dirk-like from his length, his range with his 3-point shot,” Toronto coach [Dwane] Casey said before the game. “He’s fearless and he’s long and a rebounder. He rebounds with his length. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in this league for a long time."
