On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks, 127-107. Kristaps Porzingis had only 17 points as the Lakers outscored the Knicks, 30-18, in the fourth quarter. Julius Randle had an amazing game, scoring 27 points, five assists, and 12 rebounds. Randle was responsible for defending Porzingis, and he was surprised by the strength of the Latvian power forward, according to Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints.

“It’s tough. Earlier in his career he was a lean guy, so earlier in his career you could really press up on him, he didn’t really know how to adjust to contact. Now he knows how to play off contact & draw fouls.”

Porzingis stands 7-foot-3 and he weighs about 240 pounds. His combination of size and skill makes him a nightmare matchup for opposing power forwards. However, Randle appeared to have gotten the best of Porzingis in their latest duel, but he did commend Porzingis for his improved strength.

Porzingis may be a 7-footer, but his strength has always been a defining question mark. Undeniably, Porzingis is a great NBA talent, but he is going to have to get much stronger to dominate opposing power forwards and centers.

Apparently, Randle believes that Porzingis is already a strong player who is adept at absorbing contact and drawing fouls. After all, Porzingis is averaging 23.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game this season. If Randle is correct, the Knicks star may just be ready to start dominating the interior to help his team win more games.

The Knicks are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference. Hopefully, Porzingis can use his improved strength to dominate the Warriors on Tuesday night.