FOR POR, LESS IS MORE

Knicks’ Porzingis says he learned in Spain that “not overdoing it” will be the key to finishing this season strong

KRISTAPS Porzingis started off like “the Unicorn” in his first two seasons. Then he faded into mortality in the final months, largely because of fatigue or physical ailments.

So in an effort to rectify these issues, Porzingis said he traveled to Spain in the offseason to undergo an examination that sounds more like a scene in a science-fiction flick.

“I was like a rabbit,” he said. “I was doing all kinds of stuff. Running all day. They were killing me, putting things on (my chest), taking blood.”

Here’s what the Spanish doctors determined, according to Porzingis: he needs to cease “overtraining.”

“Like not coming in super early in the morning after a game to get a workout in,” Porzingis said Sunday. “That doesn’t help my weight, either. I keep losing weight. Those things add up and by the end of the season, I’m drained.

“The doctor said it too. My resistance is good. I don’t need to be running 10 miles a day. …I was always doing too much.”

In addition to being the tallest player in the NBA at 7-3, Porzingis possesses a wiry frame that leaves him vulnerable to stronger opponents with a lower center of gravity. The 22-year-old was also diagnosed with anemia, a blood condition that he attributed to drops in energy earlier in his life before taking pills to balance out his iron levels.

As a rookie two seasons ago, Porzingis was in a neck-and-neck race with Karl Anthony-Towns for Rookie of the Year until declining in the second half of the season and missing the final seven games with a shoulder injury.

Last season, Porzingis looked poised for an All-Star push before suffering from a sore Achilles and dropping statistically in almost every category after December. After skipping his exit meeting with Phil Jackson in April, he bolted to Europe for five months and, at the recommendation of his personal physiologist, Manolo Valdivieso, underwent the hardcore physical exam. Porzingis has put faith in Valdivieso to the point of bringing him back to New York for this season.

However, Jeff Hornacek seemed skeptical of the diagnosis that Porzingis was pushing himself too hard in practice.

“Well, I don’t have our trainers and doctors telling us that,” the coach said. “But we have to be alert to days before the game. He is a big guy and we need him out there for the games. But you can get better in practice. When you get going in the season, it’s going to be awful hard to have big practices the day before the game. It’s going to be every other day and stuff like that. He’ll get plenty of rest on those days.”

It’s very early, but Porzingis has started another season on fire — averaging 32 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two games ahead of Tuesday’s contest in Boston. He’s also learned to take it easy. And whether or not it’s related to the results of the tests in Spain, he sat out the final drills in practice Sunday because of a minor knee issue. So far, so good this season for Porzingis. “Even with this long summer with the national team, I feel great and fresh and able to recover faster after games. It’s going to be key for me this season. Not overtraining,” he said.