The New York Knicks' playoff chances are all but over at this point as they are 6.5 games back of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with just 21 games left to play. Now the focus for the Knicks becomes developing their young players and the guy at the top of that list is Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis has created a lot of buzz around New York as many see him as a future star but he is not without areas he needs to improve. Interim head coach Kurt Rambis believes the rookie needs to improve his shot selection, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
When Porzingis came into the league it was expected that he would take a couple of years before he became an impact player. Instead the 20-year-old burst on to the scene and showed just how high his ceiling really is. Since that great run of success early in the season though Porzingis has slowed down and his shooting percentages reflect that (43 percent from the field and 34 percent from three). Porzingis does spend a lot of time on the perimeter but a 7-foot-3 player should never have a shooting percentage as low as 43 and Rambis thinks it's because he takes some bad shots.
"He is talented. There's no getting around that. At some point he is going to be phenomenal but he is still going through a growth process. There are shots out there that he takes that I flat out don't like. We are working on his decision-making in those situations," said Rambis.
Porzingis certainly raised his expectations with the way he played at the start of the season but it should be remembered that he is still a rookie and has a lot of time to improve. Shot selection is something that he will learn as he plays more in the NBA but Rambis was quick to point out that he does see Porzingis being a very good player.
While Porzingis' shot selection has come into question recently the one thing that can't be questioned has been his durability. Even at his very slender frame Porzingis has missed just one game all season and has played through some minor aches and pains. On Sunday night, in the Knicks loss to Miami, Porzingis played through knee soreness, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday. So far Porzingis has proven all of the doubters wrong and looks to have a very bright future. If his shot selection is the biggest question mark surrounding him after his rookie season than he is in very good shape moving forward.
