Porzingis Unicorn #3 Thread

[Deeeez Knicks]

KP's defense was much better at the 4 than the 5 this past season. 82games.com's stats back that claim up.

What were the most used lineups where he's at the 5? If it's him at the 5 and defensive scrubs 1-4, that's not a good indicator.

I'm basing my opinion on what I saw this season. 3 games to me that stick out where he played the 5 a lot, especially in the 2nd half, was the 1st BKN game, 1st LAL game and the 1st MIN game.

If you were building the best defensive team from this roster, where would you have him playing?

Also what about the fit offensively?

http://www.82games.com/1617/16NYK12.HTM

We didn't have a good defensive lineup really at any point last year and if I'm basing something on stats, I'm using a larger sample size over just a three game one. You'd think the defense would be better because it'd bring him closer to the rim, but aside from a couple of games, his defense on the perimter was fine - it was his PnR defense that was an issue, but that was an issue whether he was playing the 4 or 5 because a) we had no scheme and b) look who the defensive PG was involved in the action most of the time.

I know KP was -11 within 6 feet (which is absurd) and we should try to keep him closer to the rim, but our defense was bad when he was playing at the 5. Using his mobility and ability to alter shots weak side, recover / rotate, etc is what we should be doing until he's strong enough to play the 5 (which we shouldn't rush into and, even then, I don't know we should be doing it that often).

Offensively the fit is better because more spacing.

If I'm building the best defensive team, I'm putting him at the 4 now and not thinking twice about it.

I am actually seeing a lot of evidence to the opposite.

Out of our top 5 most used lineups, only one had KP at C and it was the only lineup that was positive (+14). It was by far our best lineup out of the top 5 most used with the best offense and the best defense rating.

The next lineup with KP at C, was the 6th most used lineup and it was also positive (+1). Actually looking thru our top 20 most used lineups, 4 had KP at C, and only one lineup was negative (-1). The rest were positive.

Looking closely at the most used lineup with KP at C (Anthony, C.Lee, K.Porzingis, D.Rose, L.Thomas) and it was very effective.

ORating: 112.6
DRating: 103.2
+14 overall

There are also a lot of other KP at C lineups that faired very well. In the right lineup no doubt KP can be very effective at C and it is where he can be utilized to maximize his effectiveness

http://stats.nba.com/lineups/traditional/#!?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&TeamID=1610612752&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1

[dakomish23]

What were the most used lineups where he's at the 5? If it's him at the 5 and defensive scrubs 1-4, that's not a good indicator.

I'm basing my opinion on what I saw this season. 3 games to me that stick out where he played the 5 a lot, especially in the 2nd half, was the 1st BKN game, 1st LAL game and the 1st MIN game.

If you were building the best defensive team from this roster, where would you have him playing?

Also what about the fit offensively?

http://www.82games.com/1617/16NYK12.HTM

We didn't have a good defensive lineup really at any point last year and if I'm basing something on stats, I'm using a larger sample size over just a three game one. You'd think the defense would be better because it'd bring him closer to the rim, but aside from a couple of games, his defense on the perimter was fine - it was his PnR defense that was an issue, but that was an issue whether he was playing the 4 or 5 because a) we had no scheme and b) look who the defensive PG was involved in the action most of the time.

I know KP was -11 within 6 feet (which is absurd) and we should try to keep him closer to the rim, but our defense was bad when he was playing at the 5. Using his mobility and ability to alter shots weak side, recover / rotate, etc is what we should be doing until he's strong enough to play the 5 (which we shouldn't rush into and, even then, I don't know we should be doing it that often).

Offensively the fit is better because more spacing.

If I'm building the best defensive team, I'm putting him at the 4 now and not thinking twice about it.

I just think back to this game
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201701060MIL.html
When we had KP on Giannis for most of the night. While he didn't exactly shut him down, Giannis had to work for his points, and that's something even good perimiter defenders struggle with

Bonus highlights from that game

Watch on YouTube

That guy's a different animal though. Half of his shots come in the 0-3 ft range, where we know KP is a beast defensively

[NBA Fan 1234]

What were the most used lineups where he's at the 5? If it's him at the 5 and defensive scrubs 1-4, that's not a good indicator.

I'm basing my opinion on what I saw this season. 3 games to me that stick out where he played the 5 a lot, especially in the 2nd half, was the 1st BKN game, 1st LAL game and the 1st MIN game.

If you were building the best defensive team from this roster, where would you have him playing?

Also what about the fit offensively?

http://www.82games.com/1617/16NYK12.HTM

We didn't have a good defensive lineup really at any point last year and if I'm basing something on stats, I'm using a larger sample size over just a three game one. You'd think the defense would be better because it'd bring him closer to the rim, but aside from a couple of games, his defense on the perimter was fine - it was his PnR defense that was an issue, but that was an issue whether he was playing the 4 or 5 because a) we had no scheme and b) look who the defensive PG was involved in the action most of the time.

I know KP was -11 within 6 feet (which is absurd) and we should try to keep him closer to the rim, but our defense was bad when he was playing at the 5. Using his mobility and ability to alter shots weak side, recover / rotate, etc is what we should be doing until he's strong enough to play the 5 (which we shouldn't rush into and, even then, I don't know we should be doing it that often).

Offensively the fit is better because more spacing.

If I'm building the best defensive team, I'm putting him at the 4 now and not thinking twice about it.

I am actually seeing a lot of evidence to the opposite.

Out of our top 5 most used lineups, only one had KP at C and it was the only lineup that was positive (+14). It was by far our best lineup out of the top 5 most used with the best offense and the best defense rating.

The next lineup with KP at C, was the 6th most used lineup and it was also positive (+1). Actually looking thru our top 20 most used lineups, 4 had KP at C, and only one lineup was negative (-1). The rest were positive.

Looking closely at the most used lineup with KP at C (Anthony, C.Lee, K.Porzingis, D.Rose, L.Thomas) and it was very effective.

ORating: 112.6
DRating: 103.2
+14 overall

There are also a lot of other KP at C lineups that faired very well. In the right lineup no doubt KP can be very effective at C and it is where he can be utilized to maximize his effectiveness

http://stats.nba.com/lineups/traditional/#!?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&TeamID=1610612752&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1

You are absolutely right. I stand corrected.

I still think KP can absolutely be / is still a good defender at the 4, though. I'm really curious to see how he does playing next to Frank instead of Rose. A lineup of Ron, Frank, Lee (if we keep him; if not, THJr or Lance), KP, and Willy (or Lance at 4 next to THJr and KP at 5) will be damn fun to watch on defense. Offense will still be a major work in progress.

[Knicksfan1992]

What were the most used lineups where he's at the 5? If it's him at the 5 and defensive scrubs 1-4, that's not a good indicator.

I'm basing my opinion on what I saw this season. 3 games to me that stick out where he played the 5 a lot, especially in the 2nd half, was the 1st BKN game, 1st LAL game and the 1st MIN game.

If you were building the best defensive team from this roster, where would you have him playing?

Also what about the fit offensively?

http://www.82games.com/1617/16NYK12.HTM

We didn't have a good defensive lineup really at any point last year and if I'm basing something on stats, I'm using a larger sample size over just a three game one. You'd think the defense would be better because it'd bring him closer to the rim, but aside from a couple of games, his defense on the perimter was fine - it was his PnR defense that was an issue, but that was an issue whether he was playing the 4 or 5 because a) we had no scheme and b) look who the defensive PG was involved in the action most of the time.

I know KP was -11 within 6 feet (which is absurd) and we should try to keep him closer to the rim, but our defense was bad when he was playing at the 5. Using his mobility and ability to alter shots weak side, recover / rotate, etc is what we should be doing until he's strong enough to play the 5 (which we shouldn't rush into and, even then, I don't know we should be doing it that often).

Offensively the fit is better because more spacing.

If I'm building the best defensive team, I'm putting him at the 4 now and not thinking twice about it.

I am actually seeing a lot of evidence to the opposite.

Out of our top 5 most used lineups, only one had KP at C and it was the only lineup that was positive (+14). It was by far our best lineup out of the top 5 most used with the best offense and the best defense rating.

The next lineup with KP at C, was the 6th most used lineup and it was also positive (+1). Actually looking thru our top 20 most used lineups, 4 had KP at C, and only one lineup was negative (-1). The rest were positive.

Looking closely at the most used lineup with KP at C (Anthony, C.Lee, K.Porzingis, D.Rose, L.Thomas) and it was very effective.

ORating: 112.6
DRating: 103.2
+14 overall

There are also a lot of other KP at C lineups that faired very well. In the right lineup no doubt KP can be very effective at C and it is where he can be utilized to maximize his effectiveness

http://stats.nba.com/lineups/traditional/#!?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&TeamID=1610612752&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1

We should have been punting on rebounding from the get go and pairing Melo and KP at the 4 and 5 way more often. The stupid directive from (what I'm guessing was up top) to start Noah did us in. If you remember one of our biggest issues was how bad we would start games and then have to climb back in. Melo can't play the 3 anymore defensively. He's just too slow footed. Combine that with wavering effort and you have a recipe for disaster on the defensive end.

[god shammgod]

you could probably live with kp at 4, he would still get killed on the perimeter, if you had a real mobile center. but kp & willy or noah or koq are too slow together. and sometimes they're crazy enough to put willy & koq together which is laughably bad. but i think eventually he's a 5. how many big post up centers are there anyway ? there are more stretch 4s that are hard to keep up with.

[dakomish23]

http://www.82games.com/1617/16NYK12.HTM

We didn't have a good defensive lineup really at any point last year and if I'm basing something on stats, I'm using a larger sample size over just a three game one. You'd think the defense would be better because it'd bring him closer to the rim, but aside from a couple of games, his defense on the perimter was fine - it was his PnR defense that was an issue, but that was an issue whether he was playing the 4 or 5 because a) we had no scheme and b) look who the defensive PG was involved in the action most of the time.

I know KP was -11 within 6 feet (which is absurd) and we should try to keep him closer to the rim, but our defense was bad when he was playing at the 5. Using his mobility and ability to alter shots weak side, recover / rotate, etc is what we should be doing until he's strong enough to play the 5 (which we shouldn't rush into and, even then, I don't know we should be doing it that often).

Offensively the fit is better because more spacing.

If I'm building the best defensive team, I'm putting him at the 4 now and not thinking twice about it.

I am actually seeing a lot of evidence to the opposite.

Out of our top 5 most used lineups, only one had KP at C and it was the only lineup that was positive (+14). It was by far our best lineup out of the top 5 most used with the best offense and the best defense rating.

The next lineup with KP at C, was the 6th most used lineup and it was also positive (+1). Actually looking thru our top 20 most used lineups, 4 had KP at C, and only one lineup was negative (-1). The rest were positive.

Looking closely at the most used lineup with KP at C (Anthony, C.Lee, K.Porzingis, D.Rose, L.Thomas) and it was very effective.

ORating: 112.6
DRating: 103.2
+14 overall

There are also a lot of other KP at C lineups that faired very well. In the right lineup no doubt KP can be very effective at C and it is where he can be utilized to maximize his effectiveness

http://stats.nba.com/lineups/traditional/#!?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&TeamID=1610612752&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1

We should have been punting on rebounding from the get go and pairing Melo and KP at the 4 and 5 way more often. The stupid directive from (what I'm guessing was up top) to start Noah did us in. If you remember one of our biggest issues was how bad we would start games and then have to climb back in. Melo can't play the 3 anymore defensively. He's just too slow footed. Combine that with wavering effort and you have a recipe for disaster on the defensive end.

I wish we would of tried starting Holiday / LFT over Noah. But there's no way the FO was going to let that happen IMO.

DRose / Lee / Holiday or LFT / Melo / KP

More 3PT shooting
More spacing
More wing defenders
Offensively we have an advantage with KP at the 5
Offensively we have an advantage with Melo at the 4

I wonder how those lineups did

[dakomish23]

you could probably live with kp at 4, he would still get killed on the perimeter, if you had a real mobile center. but kp & willy or noah or koq are too slow together. and sometimes they're crazy enough to put willy & koq together which is laughably bad. but i think eventually he's a 5. how many big post up centers are there anyway ? there are more stretch 4s that are hard to keep up with.

They even put WHG and Noah together (2nd half of TOR game)

[Deeeez Knicks]

http://www.82games.com/1617/16NYK12.HTM

We didn't have a good defensive lineup really at any point last year and if I'm basing something on stats, I'm using a larger sample size over just a three game one. You'd think the defense would be better because it'd bring him closer to the rim, but aside from a couple of games, his defense on the perimter was fine - it was his PnR defense that was an issue, but that was an issue whether he was playing the 4 or 5 because a) we had no scheme and b) look who the defensive PG was involved in the action most of the time.

I know KP was -11 within 6 feet (which is absurd) and we should try to keep him closer to the rim, but our defense was bad when he was playing at the 5. Using his mobility and ability to alter shots weak side, recover / rotate, etc is what we should be doing until he's strong enough to play the 5 (which we shouldn't rush into and, even then, I don't know we should be doing it that often).

Offensively the fit is better because more spacing.

If I'm building the best defensive team, I'm putting him at the 4 now and not thinking twice about it.

I am actually seeing a lot of evidence to the opposite.

Out of our top 5 most used lineups, only one had KP at C and it was the only lineup that was positive (+14). It was by far our best lineup out of the top 5 most used with the best offense and the best defense rating.

The next lineup with KP at C, was the 6th most used lineup and it was also positive (+1). Actually looking thru our top 20 most used lineups, 4 had KP at C, and only one lineup was negative (-1). The rest were positive.

Looking closely at the most used lineup with KP at C (Anthony, C.Lee, K.Porzingis, D.Rose, L.Thomas) and it was very effective.

ORating: 112.6
DRating: 103.2
+14 overall

There are also a lot of other KP at C lineups that faired very well. In the right lineup no doubt KP can be very effective at C and it is where he can be utilized to maximize his effectiveness

http://stats.nba.com/lineups/traditional/#!?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&TeamID=1610612752&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1

You are absolutely right. I stand corrected.

I still think KP can absolutely be / is still a good defender at the 4, though. I'm really curious to see how he does playing next to Frank instead of Rose. A lineup of Ron, Frank, Lee (if we keep him; if not, THJr or Lance), KP, and Willy (or Lance at 4 next to THJr and KP at 5) will be damn fun to watch on defense. Offense will still be a major work in progress.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how Frank and KP work out. Our perimeter defense should at least be better this year, which in turn should hopefully eventually start to turn the entire defense around. We had so many holes and issues on defense it really was hard to pinpoint any one problem.

[Deeeez Knicks]

http://www.82games.com/1617/16NYK12.HTM

We didn't have a good defensive lineup really at any point last year and if I'm basing something on stats, I'm using a larger sample size over just a three game one. You'd think the defense would be better because it'd bring him closer to the rim, but aside from a couple of games, his defense on the perimter was fine - it was his PnR defense that was an issue, but that was an issue whether he was playing the 4 or 5 because a) we had no scheme and b) look who the defensive PG was involved in the action most of the time.

I know KP was -11 within 6 feet (which is absurd) and we should try to keep him closer to the rim, but our defense was bad when he was playing at the 5. Using his mobility and ability to alter shots weak side, recover / rotate, etc is what we should be doing until he's strong enough to play the 5 (which we shouldn't rush into and, even then, I don't know we should be doing it that often).

Offensively the fit is better because more spacing.

If I'm building the best defensive team, I'm putting him at the 4 now and not thinking twice about it.

I am actually seeing a lot of evidence to the opposite.

Out of our top 5 most used lineups, only one had KP at C and it was the only lineup that was positive (+14). It was by far our best lineup out of the top 5 most used with the best offense and the best defense rating.

The next lineup with KP at C, was the 6th most used lineup and it was also positive (+1). Actually looking thru our top 20 most used lineups, 4 had KP at C, and only one lineup was negative (-1). The rest were positive.

Looking closely at the most used lineup with KP at C (Anthony, C.Lee, K.Porzingis, D.Rose, L.Thomas) and it was very effective.

ORating: 112.6
DRating: 103.2
+14 overall

There are also a lot of other KP at C lineups that faired very well. In the right lineup no doubt KP can be very effective at C and it is where he can be utilized to maximize his effectiveness

http://stats.nba.com/lineups/traditional/#!?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&TeamID=1610612752&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1

We should have been punting on rebounding from the get go and pairing Melo and KP at the 4 and 5 way more often. The stupid directive from (what I'm guessing was up top) to start Noah did us in. If you remember one of our biggest issues was how bad we would start games and then have to climb back in. Melo can't play the 3 anymore defensively. He's just too slow footed. Combine that with wavering effort and you have a recipe for disaster on the defensive end.

Yeah, we would have to give up something, I’d probably rather give up a little on the boards…Its not like we were stopping anyone even with our best defensive lineups anyway. We are just way too slow with KP at the 4, Melo at the 3 when everyone is running out small ball lineups. The key would be finding that perfect F next to KP and Melo that could defend, rebound and do all the little things. The floor would really open up though.

Noah just looks done. Its a shame, since prime Noah would have been a great fit.

[Bill Pidto]

KP can be great at the 4. Defensively, too.

KP can be anything he wants to be. That's what's special about him. His tools are insane.

I'm so excited to see him as the focal point of the team after a good off-season of hard work. I saw flashes of an all-time great player and a versatile defender in his rookie year, and I'm not giving up that dream.

[Knicksfan1992]

I am actually seeing a lot of evidence to the opposite.

Out of our top 5 most used lineups, only one had KP at C and it was the only lineup that was positive (+14). It was by far our best lineup out of the top 5 most used with the best offense and the best defense rating.

The next lineup with KP at C, was the 6th most used lineup and it was also positive (+1). Actually looking thru our top 20 most used lineups, 4 had KP at C, and only one lineup was negative (-1). The rest were positive.

Looking closely at the most used lineup with KP at C (Anthony, C.Lee, K.Porzingis, D.Rose, L.Thomas) and it was very effective.

ORating: 112.6
DRating: 103.2
+14 overall

There are also a lot of other KP at C lineups that faired very well. In the right lineup no doubt KP can be very effective at C and it is where he can be utilized to maximize his effectiveness

http://stats.nba.com/lineups/traditional/#!?Season=2016-17&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&TeamID=1610612752&sort=PLUS_MINUS&dir=1

We should have been punting on rebounding from the get go and pairing Melo and KP at the 4 and 5 way more often. The stupid directive from (what I'm guessing was up top) to start Noah did us in. If you remember one of our biggest issues was how bad we would start games and then have to climb back in. Melo can't play the 3 anymore defensively. He's just too slow footed. Combine that with wavering effort and you have a recipe for disaster on the defensive end.

Yeah, we would have to give up something, I’d probably rather give up a little on the boards…Its not like we were stopping anyone even with our best defensive lineups anyway. We are just way too slow with KP at the 4, Melo at the 3 when everyone is running out small ball lineups. The key would be finding that perfect F next to KP and Melo that could defend, rebound and do all the little things. The floor would really open up though.

Noah just looks done. Its a shame, since prime Noah would have been a great fit.

Yeah Noah, in theory, would have been fantastic but he's totally cooked. He's awful at the rim now and his offensive game has deteriorated because of the shoulder injuries to the point where he's pretty much unplayable. I wish he would retire for his own sake. This can't be fun for him...

Draymond, obviously fits on any team, but he would be perfect with Melo and KP. Someone in that mold. Who can protect the rim and also get out on the perimeter and hound guys.

[Deeeez Knicks]

Not sure if this was posted, but here's a pretty good article....nbamath usually has some good info...discusses some things KP improved on, regressed and some other things he needs to improve on including defense.

http://nbamath.com/season-2-in-review-did-kristaps-porzingis-improve-for-the-new-york-knicks/

With that said, he did improve in a couple of key areas. Porzingis held opposing pick-and-roll ball handlers to 0.79 PPP, placing him in the NBA’s 70th percentile. Though the sample size was small (33 possessions), the numbers suggest he has the footwork to stay in front of smaller/quicker players when switched onto them, similar to the action below:

And again:

He also vastly improved his interior post play, limiting opponents to 0.85 PPP (62nd percentile) which was a drastic difference from his rookie season (1.06 PPP, 13th percentile).A large part of what made him effective on the defensive end was his tremendous length. Larger players can back him down due to his slender frame, but his length can help mitigate those shortcomings.

[ChaosHamster]

KP looked fine with Rolo.. and it was his rookie year. He just needs to be paired with solid defensive big who does dirty work.

Noah is done,

Kyle is terrible:

Read on Twitter

And Willy also needs to improve a lot.

[Jellybeans]

Doenst really need to pair someone who does dirty work..He needs that everyone plays D,and not only 3 of them ..When switch defence from Rose and Melo kept been ignored,and KP guards g's and forwards all the time,and does two does nothing..Thats how he lost hes good numbers..KP was like top5 in paint defence %

[NYKAL]

Doenst really need to pair someone who does dirty work..He needs that everyone plays D,and not only 3 of them ..When switch defence from Rose and Melo kept been ignored,and KP guards g's and forwards all the time,and does two does nothing..Thats how he lost hes good numbers..KP was like top5 in paint defence %

bs Melo did not ignore KP, he got his touches as did Melo. Rose, yes, he did constantly ignore KP AND everyone else on the squad as well. Its Not KP and the Knicks, its the New York Knicks. If he was less passive and called for the damn ball like a G, he'd get even more touches. I like KP as much as the next but if your acting like Melo froze him out, I call that bull

[god shammgod]

KP looked fine with Rolo.. and it was his rookie year. He just needs to be paired with solid defensive big who does dirty work.

Noah is done,

Kyle is terrible:

Read on Twitter

And Willy also needs to improve a lot.

the knicks collect bigs like pokemon cards and none of them can play defense. that phil was something.

[DOT]

Doenst really need to pair someone who does dirty work..He needs that everyone plays D,and not only 3 of them ..When switch defence from Rose and Melo kept been ignored,and KP guards g's and forwards all the time,and does two does nothing..Thats how he lost hes good numbers..KP was like top5 in paint defence %

bs Melo did not ignore KP, he got his touches as did Melo. Rose, yes, he did constantly ignore KP AND everyone else on the squad as well. Its Not KP and the Knicks, its the New York Knicks. If he was less passive and called for the damn ball like a G, he'd get even more touches. I like KP as much as the next but if your acting like Melo froze him out, I call that bull

He's talking about defensively, not offensively

I think he's trying to say something about how KP looks worse defensively because Melo and Rose would switch the PnR?

[ChaosHamster]

Doenst really need to pair someone who does dirty work..He needs that everyone plays D,and not only 3 of them ..When switch defence from Rose and Melo kept been ignored,and KP guards g's and forwards all the time,and does two does nothing..Thats how he lost hes good numbers..KP was like top5 in paint defence %

I mean.. his rookie year he played with Calderon, Afflalo and Melo + Rolo..

I don't think individually first three are better defenders then Rose, Lee and Melo trio we had last year.

But you swap Rolo for Noah, Kyle or Willy.. and it gets ugly.

I also think, just pure team communication on defense was better in 15/16. PnR defense with KP and Calderon looked a lot better than him running covering the same guy almost every play, with Rose.

[NYKAL]

Doenst really need to pair someone who does dirty work..He needs that everyone plays D,and not only 3 of them ..When switch defence from Rose and Melo kept been ignored,and KP guards g's and forwards all the time,and does two does nothing..Thats how he lost hes good numbers..KP was like top5 in paint defence %

bs Melo did not ignore KP, he got his touches as did Melo. Rose, yes, he did constantly ignore KP AND everyone else on the squad as well. Its Not KP and the Knicks, its the New York Knicks. If he was less passive and called for the damn ball like a G, he'd get even more touches. I like KP as much as the next but if your acting like Melo froze him out, I call that bull

He's talking about defensively, not offensively

I think he's trying to say something about how KP looks worse defensively because Melo and Rose would switch the PnR?

ah, can't argue with that. The thing is Melo isn't as bad a defender at the 4 and as a plus the rebounding numbers go up too. If he stays, he needs to play the 4 with KP at the 5. Let Noah enjoy his bench splinters.

[VirginiaKnickFan]

Kristaps Porzingis is content, working tirelessly and just fine being a Knick.

So reports Mindaugas Kuzminskas, the Knicks’ 6-foot-9 young forward playing in the European Championship who attended his April exit meeting with ousted Phil Jackson.

With Jackson out of the picture, Porzingis’ issues with the organization appear mostly over. Porzingis is in Africa, taking a short break from Latvian camp for an NBA promotional trip.

“I don’t think it was something personal against the club,’’ Kuzminskas said. “If there [were] some problems I think they solved everything. No doubt he wants to be a Knick and he’s said that.’’

Kuzminskas and Porzingis did as much working out as talking.

“He’s got a whole big team there — therapists, trainers — so he’s happy doing that,’’ Kuzminskas said. “We were doing basketball, lifting, swimming in the pool, everything. It will be fun to play against him, but I’m more excited if our countries meet in the official game, not a friendly. Lithuania is usually better than Latvia, but this year they got better players and were really strong. We’re similar countries. We call each other brothers.’’

http://nypost.com/2017/08/01/one-knick-knows-porzingis-has-made-peace-with-team/