New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis is still upset that he wasn’t selected as a starter in the NBA All-Star Game.
Should the New York Knicks’ unicorn, Kristaps Porzingis, be starting the upcoming NBA All-Star Game? He thinks so.
Porzingis reacts to All-Star voting; Hornacek explains why they chose Ntilikina over Mitchell; CLee insists he never used foul language to warrant tech https://t.co/jdg9d0xPzb
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) January 19, 2018
“Players know,” Porzingis told reporters, per Stefon Bondy of the New York Daily News. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
While Porzingis got more support in the players voting than Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Philly’s big man finished one spot ahead of the Serbian import in both the media and fan voting. Picks from the media and players counted for 25 percent of the final count, while fan voting counted for the other half.
Starters for the NBA’s annual spectacle were revealed Thursday with Embiid, Cleveland’s LeBron James and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokoounmpo named the Eastern Conference’s three frontcourt starters.
As for whether he thought the Knicks’ losing record (20-25) played a part in his snub, Porzingis wouldn’t take the bait, refusing to throw his teammates under the bus.
“Everybody has their own opinion. Fans are one thing. It is what it is,” he said. “There are a lot of things I could have done better also. It is what it is.”
A quick look at Porzingis’ stats—and where he ranks in the NBA—only emphasize his point that he could have done some things better.
| Statistic | PPG | RPG | APG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porzingis 2017-18 | 23.6 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 2.36 |
| NBA Rank | 15 | T-35 | T-187 | 1 |
Leading the NBA in blocks per game is great, and nobody’s going to sneeze at the healthy clip at which he scores—a career-best for Porzingis. But for a seven-foot-three forward, he’s weak on the boards and has become a black hole when he gets the ball, tied for last among qualified players in assists per game.
Ultimately, this all figures to be a short-lived issue, as Porzingis seems like a lock to make the All-Star Game as a reserve. At least he hopes he will be.
“We’ll see. I would hope so. In my mind, I deserve it,” he said. “All I got to do is play good and win games and the results will take care of itself. I shouldn’t be too worried about who is going to vote for me and who is not going to vote for me.”
Reserves for the All-Star Game, which will be held on Feb. 18 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, are scheduled to be announced Tuesday, Jan. 23.
