BRICK & TIRED
Shoots 5-of-14, disappears in OT crunch time
opportunities for me. It’s how it goes sometimes. On to the next one. We’ll figure out how to get the ball to me and how I can be effective. Right now we’re struggling a little bit.”
Earlier in the day, Porzingis said he’s prepared for the physical grind of being “the guy” and that his comments from Wednesday about being “so tired” weren’t an excuse – just an honest assessment following games on consecutive nights.
“All I know is, of course, after playing a back-to-back everybody feels tired,” he said. “If you don’t feel tired, you didn’t play hard.”
Still, Porzingis is mired in a slump without Carmelo Anthony to help shoulder the load. He has been dealing with the full — and physical — attention of the opposing defenses this season. Heavy lies the crown.
“Of course, it’s physically harder. That’s something I was preparing myself for,” he said Friday. “It’s not something where all of a sudden hit me. I’ve prepared myself for it and I have to be ready for it if I want to be the guy. There can’t be any excuses made, whether it’s so many minutes I’m playing or whatever it is.”
A person close to the 22-year-old said that leading the team hasn’t been just physically taxing, but “mentally exhausting, too.” Part of the problem is that without injured Tim Hardaway Jr., Porzingis and Beasley are the only players on the roster who can create their own shot. Movement without the ball has been atrocious, team-wide.
Following his blazing start to the season, Porzingis’ numbers had dipped to 23.8 points per game on 44 percent shooting before Friday. He has also missed six games because of minor injuries.
While there’s no set plan in place to rest Porzingis, coach Jeff Hornacek said he may sit his star when they visit the high-altitude cities in Denver and Utah later this month. Porzingis, who was diagnosed with anemia as a teenager, has averaged just 14 points on 36 percent shooting in four previous games at those thin-air locations (all losses).
Hornacek also hinted at preserving Porzingis by limiting his minutes in the opening three quarters.
“It’s going to be tougher (for Porzingis to be the go-to guy without Carmelo). They’re going to do more things. It’s going to be tougher on him,” Hornacek said. “Sometimes he has to bang with guys defensively, and small guys are getting into his legs. That takes a little bit of toll on you. We may have to give him shorter stints of minutes maybe, save him for the fourth quarter a little bit.”
As Porzingis’ production has dipped, so have his chances of becoming an All-Star starter. In the first returns of the fan voting, he was behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and Joel Embiid among Eastern Conference frontcourt players.
Still, Porzingis said he’s deserving of a spot and it remains a pivotal goal for this season. Games like Friday won’t help his cause.
“Very important. That’s a dream of mine to be an All-Star,” he said. “And since I got in the NBA that’s something I want to achieve, individually. But also realizing that’s not how you want to be remembered only as a good individual player, so all of that will come with playing. If we win we’re all going to look good and I’m sure I’m going to be an All-Star.”
With the way opposing teams are sending him into exhaustion, Porzingis is confident that, at the very least, coaches will pick him as a reserve. Friday’s performance in Miami isn’t going to help his cause.