Zinger crying foul over non-calls

SAN ANTONIO – Mired in an ugly shooting slump, Kristaps Porzingis made a public plea to the referees for help.

Porzingis’ lament – which is not a new one for him – was that his shot is being hindered by touch fouls to the arm during his release. The lack of calls has Porzingis second-guessing his offensive playing style.

“It makes me super mad, those little touches on the arm, on the elbow, I know they’re small but they affect my shot so much and I’m confused,” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘Should I change my game?’ Because I shoot those shots so many times over guys and it makes me mad I’m not able to get those calls.”

Porzingis’ frustration was visible during Thursday night’s loss to the Spurs, when the Latvian demonstrably explained to an official that he was hit on the arm during a shot attempt. He believes the refs are aware of the issue but haven’t looked close enough.

“I try to tell them about it before the games. But I think the refs, they have their own team and they talk about those kind of things so they know what’s going on. They know those are the type of things they have to look at,” Porzingis said. “Maybe it’s too hard to see, I don’t know. Maybe I’m too high up, I’m too long.”

Since returning from a minor knee injury, Porzingis is shooting just 34 percent (33-for97) over five games. His blazing start in October and early November has transitioned to a struggle around the holiday season. His free throw attempts have also dipped to 4.7 per game in December, down from 7 per game over the previous two months.

Much of Porzingis’ offense now is predicated on establishing position on the block and shooting over the smaller defender. Porzingis’ issue is that smaller defender is then reaching up to disrupt the shot and also clipping his arm.

Without the benefit of a foul call, it has become an inefficient move.

“Obviously with the attention I’m getting now, I won’t really get open, open looks much,” he said. “Sometimes if I’m on the block and the double-team doesn’t come I’m going to shoot over guys, it’s what I’ve been doing.”

Porzingis was 12th in the NBA in free throw attempts per game at 6.17 before Friday’s contests. He’s well below the Supreme Leader of getting to the line – James Harden (10.33 times per game) – but above LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Coach Jeff Hornacek said Porzingis would benefit from a quicker move. He highlighted a baseline shot Porzingis took in the third quarter Thursday, when the 22-year-old caught the ball, spun and shot in one motion.

“That’s hard to challenge,” Hornacek said. “But when there’s a hesitation in it, or a pump fake, that’s when guys get up in the body and it’s harder.”