When Kristaps Porzingis got hurt (and even before that), there was a vocal minority of Knicks fans who were unhappy with his development this year. After a hot-shooting first 11 games, his offensive efficiency dropped as he missed contested midrange jumpers. Criticism of his shot selection was fair, but if anyone doubted the positive impact he has on the Knicks, they shouldn’t any longer.
The Knicks have been an abomination since he last played Feb. 6. They’ve gone 1-9, with their only win coming against the Orlando Magic. Only two of the losses were decided by eight or fewer points. There has been a lot of bad basketball.
The biggest drop-off has come on the defensive side of the ball. Since Feb. 8, the Knicks are the worst defensive team in basketball, and it isn’t particularly close. Their defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is a league-worst 116.3, a full 1.3 points worse than the next-to-last Denver Nuggets.
Just for reference as to how much Porzingis makes a difference: When he has been on the court this year, the Knicks' defensive rating is 105.4. That’s a difference of more than 10 points per 100 possessions. The absence of his rim protection and ability to play the pick-and-roll has turned the Knicks' defense into a sieve, especially with coach Jeff Hornacek choosing to start poor defenders such as Emmanuel Mudiay, Michael Beasley and Enes Kanter.
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The Knicks' offense hasn’t cratered quite as badly, but they still own the seventh-worst offensive rating in the league since Porzingis’ injury: 103.5. It’s a full two points lower than when Porzingis was on the floor this year. Overall, since Porzingis’ injury, the Knicks have been outscored by more points per 100 possessions (13.9) than every other team in the NBA. Simply put, they have been the worst team in the NBA.
That’s how important Porzingis is. He is the team’s most impactful defender and also their best offensive player. He is the only true two-way player on the roster. He might not be someone who goes out there and scores an efficient 28 points every night, but he is so good at most everything else that his positive impact is very high.
Porzingis might never be a top-five scorer in the league, and that’s OK. If he is a top rim defender, good 3-point shooter and good offensive player, he can bring the Knicks a long way, assuming he has the right kind of help around him. He is the only thing that was standing between the Knicks being entertaining and appearing competitive and them being one of the worst teams in the league and completely unwatchable.
Porzingis might not be Kobe Bryant, but he can be a more athletic Marc Gasol.
When the Knicks have the cap space this summer, they need to add another player of that caliber to play with Porzingis. They need to find good players in the draft the next two years to help as well. Porzingis can’t do it all by himself, but he can do a heck of a lot, as Knicks fans are learning now.