New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis has voiced his displeasure with the foul calls, or lack thereof, in Boston on Tuesday.
Kristaps Porzingis isn't happy with the lack of fouls being called on his shots | @Al_Iannazzone https://t.co/BuudQLOHWd pic.twitter.com/7mjHNI19Ff
— Newsday Sports (@NewsdaySports) October 25, 2017
New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis had plenty to say following Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. He had his worst game of the season and the offense sputtered because of it. Porzingis became visibly upset with the lack of calls multiple times last night.
“They’re playing physical against me and all those little contacts maybe that go into my turnaround jumpers I get a little touch on my elbow or something — it changes your shot so much,” Porzingis said after the loss, per Newsday‘s Al Iannazzone. “It’s hard for a lot of defenders to block my shot actually so I’m trying to tell the referees all those little contacts on my elbow, some on my arm, it’s bothering my shot and it shouldn’t be allowed.
It’s tough to see for sure. But I just got to be able to make those shots through contact I guess.”
Porzingis is coming into his own and, with Carmelo Anthony gone, is now both the face of the franchise and the focal point of the offense. He’s entitled to speak out about the lack of calls, of course, but he must also learn from this game and use it to figure out how to adjust when calls aren’t going his way.
The Knicks’ supporting cast could alleviate some of the pressure on Porzingis by stretching the floor. The Celtics gameplan focused heavily on shutting down Porzingis. This type of approach will give the Knicks fits if they continue to shoot a league-worst 24 percent from behind the arc.
Porzingis needs to learn to deal with physical defense and how to finish through contact. The good news is that he’s only 22 and still developing, so he should be able to make the necessary changes to elevate his game.
