WAKE-UP CALL
Scouts: Being the man not natural for 'tired' KP
MIAMI — Kristaps Porzingis has struggled recently living up to the designation as Knicks franchise player, admitting fatigue through 38 games.
Two European-based scouts aren’t surprised, suggesting the natural makeup of an international player isn’t best suited for that role. They see Porzingis as an All-Star — just not necessarily a superstar.
Tim Shea, a former European scout for the Knicks and Charlotte who has lived for years in Barcelona, Spain, said it’s uncommon for a European to mentally embrace the status as an NBA franchise guy in the same way as an Americanborn would who played on the AAU circuit. Only Dirk Nowitzki — and it took him many years — fully accepted that franchise-player responsibility.
“It’s because Europeans have learned the game as a ‘ team game’ above all,’’ Shea told The Post. “[Porzingis] is at the very best an All-Star like Pau Gasol that can assist and become a great complementary player to some NBA big gun. He can only be cast as a piece of a rebuild that is a long way from anywhere.”
Shea said the “KP’’ moniker should now stand for “Keep Plowing’’ as he battles enormous expectations. Porzingis kicked up a fuss when he mentioned after Wednesday’s loss in Washington he was “so tired,” is looking for a second wind to the season and anxiously is awaiting Tim Hardaway Jr.’s expected January return.
“A Unicorn is only the hero in fairy tales,” Shea said. “Is he a talented, long and very profitable piece? Yes, but not a franchise [player].”
Never having a European-born coach with the Knicks — or one with international coaching experi- ence — doesn’t help matters, according to Shea. The former Knicks scout, who was opposed to the drafting of Frederic Weis, feels an American coach may sometimes not relate fully to an international player’s mindset.
The Knicks felt they needed to trade Carmelo Anthony to thrust Porzingis into the face-of-the-franchise position, but he’s just 22 years old, in his third season. After an MVP-like start, Porzingis’ shooting percentage has dipped to 43.9 per- cent. In the past 19 games he has shot 39.9 percent. With All-Star voting beginning on Christmas, his downturn could hurt his chances of being named a starter. He is currently fourth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in the fan voting.
“If the Garden continues to think and sell that Porzingis is a franchise player, they might as well let Willy Hernangomez play the point,’’ one NBA scout with European connections said. “It is not going to happen. KP has only played on a losing team as a pro in Spain and a losing team in New York. They have a lot of good young Europeans, KP, Frank [Ntilikina], [Enes] Kanter, Willy.
“We can now start to care about the team, but please don’t believe KP will lead you to the end of the yellow brick road by himself. It’s idiotic to put him in that position.’’
Porzingis, who is averaging 23.7 points, scored just two points in the second half in Washington and was not active enough defensively. Afterward, he raised eyebrows by admitting how “so tired’’ he is through 38 games — mentally and physically. The burden of leading the Knicks every game has taken its toll. The Knicks are 1-6 in their past seven games, falling two games under .500 at 18-20 for the first time since they started 1-3.
“Little bumps and bruises and things like that that you play through affects you a little bit,” Porzingis said.