It has been nothing short of a strong start to the 2017-18 campaign for New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis.
Following Porzingis' fifth 30-point performance of the season, head coach Jeff Hornacek boasted about the 22-year-old's offensive ability in his third year in the league, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.
Article Continues Below“Well, he's dynamite in there. … (Defenders are) getting up in his legs. Half the time, I think that's a foul. He's jumping up in the air, it's the same thing as a guy shooting a three-pointer when guys step underneath. If you look at his body, his bottom half ends up getting pushed out because they're getting into his legs. He's still making the shots. That's focus. He's focusing on his shot the whole way through. He's tough to guard out there.”
Porzingis has continued to torch opposing defenses as he's averaging 29.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. This also includes scoring 30 or more points in five of the first six games of the season while notching a pair of double-doubles.
The former 2014 third overall pick is the first player in team history to record 30 or more points in four out of the first five games of a season. He is also the youngest player in NBA history to notch 30 or more points over four out of the first five games of a season topping Hall of Famer Rick Barry, who accomplished that feat in the 1966-67 campaign.
Porzingis has been able to score from every facet of the floor that includes being able to shoot effectively beyond the arc. This combined with his height at 7-foot-3 makes it an extremely difficult task to guard him against any spot on the floor. All of this may just be the making of a breakout year with Porzingis further asserting himself as one of the top young talents in the league.