Anyone worried that the New York Knicks might not start Kristaps Porzingis to begin the 2015-16 season needn’t fret anymore.
It looks like he will indeed begin the season as their starting power forward.
Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (h/t ProBasketballTalk):
Fisher started preseason with Porzingis as the starting power forward, and, as of Saturday, the coach hadn’t hedged — “we like him there,” he said.
The plan is to use the final preseason game Thursday at Boston as a dress rehearsal for the season opener, meaning the minutes and rotations will be closer to what we can expect from the 2015-16 Knicks.
Fisher’s ideal starting lineup includes Jose Calderon, Arron Afflalo, Carmelo Anthony, Porzingis and Robin Lopez.
There’s also this from the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:
The Knicks look deep in the frontcourt, and have had excellent preseasons from forwards Kyle O’Quinn, Derrick Williams, last season’s rookie bust Cleanthony Early and, of course, a supremely healthy and defensive-minded Carmelo Anthony.
Nevertheless, Fisher wants Porzingis to be the starting power forward opening night, even if he was shaky Saturday at Charlotte. Rusty from sitting out a week with a quad strain, the 7-foot-3 Latvian shot poorly (3-for-11) from the floor, got blocked by Cody Zeller on a dunk attempt and was pushed around by Hornets post man Al Jefferson, who backed Porzingis in easily for a couple of hoops in the second quarter. Patrick Ewing told The Post that Porzingis’ weight shouldn’t be that big an issue, but it looked like one Saturday.
“We’ll see what happens with Kris, but I like him in there as well,’’ Fisher said, referring to the starting unit. “The good part of all this, we can choose another guy and we’ll be fine, too. That’s what’s different about this team.’’
It’s quite clear that the Knicks aren’t embracing the conventional rebuild. They chased high-profile names in free agency and when that failed, they pieced together an experienced core and sprinkled in a few youngsters. The frontcourt is especially crowded. The Knicks have veterans, albeit with limited experience, in Derrick Williams and Kyle O’Quinn, and Carmelo Anthony should—nay, needs to—spend time at the 4 spot as well.
Which means the Knicks could just as easily bring ‘Taps off the bench. He’s a rookie, he’s raw, and he’s been battling a ton of minor injuries since his pre-draft workouts. And, so long as we’re being honest, if the Knicks want to win now, if they want to enter the playoff conversation now, giving a rookie starter’s minutes, or even just a starter’s position, isn’t the safest way to go.
But it’s nonetheless the way coach Derek Fisher appears to be going. And that’s a good thing. It shows the Knicks are committed to Porzingis. It proves that they’re at least taking some semblance of the long-term view when it comes to evaluating this team.
That’s a refreshing change of pace, and though the Knicks must still show they’re willing to stick with ‘Taps in the event he struggles out of the gate, their offseason moves, their recent decisions, their apparent commitment to the future, suggests that won’t be an issue.
