[protected-iframe id=”3b19e209db95d7f5b622abbaba660624-60970621-27345751″ info=”Kirstaps Porzingis” width=”650″ height=”366″ ]
It’s hard to know what to think about the Knicks these days. New York has more veteran talent than it’s had since the last time the organization won a playoff series, but serious questions remain about the ability of Jeff Hornacek’s team to make it through the season. Then, of course, there’s Derrick Rose’s civil trial for sexual assault that is about to start, hanging an extremely dark cloud over Madison Square Garden. But one thing shines as a beacon of blindingly bright hope for Knicks fans — the endless potential of Kristaps Porzingis.
The sensation that was Porzingis’ rookie year died down as the season wore on and KP wore down, but that was to be expected from a kid whose frame everyone said would be too skinny to really compete. With another offseason for him to get stronger and further develop his skills, we’re again faced with unknowable possibilities, but now we’ve seen enough to whet our appetite. Skepticism is washed away, and we can once again marvel at his physical tools. And there are few better ways to marvel than with a Sports Science clip from ESPN.
Unfortunately, this one is a little light on the science, as it spends a ridiculous amount of time measuring Porzingis’ blocking ability with apple boxes when they tacked on the numbers we really wanted to know at the end. And what numbers! At 7’3, Porzingis also has a 37.5-inch vertical, which is two inches higher than Blake Griffin’s. Combine that with some pretty impressive dribbling agility numbers, and you have what makes KP so scary — that he manages to be more athletic than literally everyone as tall as him who’s ever been in the NBA.
