Marcus Morris and the New York Knicks are looking to take advantage of Kristaps Porzingis’ slight build on Friday night.
Stopping Kristaps Porzingis is at the top of the gameplan for the New York Knicks. According to Marcus Morris, he plans to be physical with the 7-foot-3 Latvian.
Morris notes that he’s starting at the three, but he’ll likely wind up on Porzingis after cross-matches or switches.
Marcus Morris is starting at the three tonight
The Knicks forward says he'll try to be "physical" with defending Kristaps pic.twitter.com/pYudbmftU5
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 8, 2019
“Just try to be physical with him,” Morris said during Friday shootaround. “That’s my biggest thing. Just try to get under him and be physical. He’s 7-foot, can shoot the three, post up, and put it on the ground. He’s definitely going to get his attempts up, but for me it’s just staying under him, staying next to him, push him, and lean on him a little bit.”
This shouldn’t be surprising at all. Porzingis’ frame makes him a target for physical play and Morris is no stranger to that style of defense.
Although he’s not a bruiser, Porzingis is showing more of a willingness to bang inside this season. He’s averaging a career-high 8.1 rebounds per game in his first season with the Dallas Mavericks.
Much like he did in New York, he’s still playing alongside another big man, namely Dwight Powell or Maxi Kleber. Playing small-ball lineups will come in time with Porzingis, but for now, he’s still playing more like a traditional power forward.
Friday will mark the first time Porzingis plays against his former team (8:30 p.m. ET) although both sides are trying to downplay the significance of any type of “revenge game” scenario.
