New York Knicks: Jeff Hornacek Could Move Kristaps Porzingis To Center
The New York Knicks are anxiously anticipating the return of Kristaps Porzingis to the rotation. Jeff Hornacek is open to moving Porzingis to center.
The New York Knicks have been one of the most underwhelming teams in the NBA in 2016-17. Despite opening the 2016-17 NBA regular season at 14-10, the Knicks are currently six games below .500.
As the Knicks weigh their options on how to fix this broken season, head coach Jeff Hornacek is considering a significant change to the starting lineup.
New York has been suffering from the same issues in January as it was in October: defense, ball movement, and effort. That’s prompted Hornacek to weigh all options as he considers what’s best for the Knicks.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Hornacek is open to the idea of moving Kristaps Porzingis to center once he returns.
“We’ve got to look at everything. … In the long run, we’ve got to look at hey, when KP comes back, what, will it change everything all together and what it will do? Sometimes it’s a chance you have to take, but we continue to look over that. We just need to mix it up maybe a little more.”
That could be the change that the Knicks need in order for the season to stabilize.
New York has lost 11 of its past 13 games to fall from 16-13 through 29 games to 18-24 through 42 games. It’s lost three games by two points or less, which is the difference between 21-21 and 18-24.
That includes a 1-5 record during the six games that Porzingis has missed with a sore right achilles tendon.
Once Porzingis returns from his injury, it stands to reason that a position change could benefit both him and the team.
Porzingis is currently averaging 19.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.7 offensive boards, 1.4 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 2.1 3-point field goals made per game. He’s doing so on an efficient slash line of .449/.402/.789.
Though the reason for Porzingis’ injury has yet to be identified, some have hypothesized that it’s the product of his having to consistently run out to contest perimeter shots .
It’s worth debating whether or not Porzingis should play center, but it’s certainly a possibility worth exploring.
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