Knicks cautious with Porzingis

When the Knicks travel to London for a four-night visit — crossing the Atlantic Ocean to face the Washington Wizards, a team usually an Amtrak ride away — they almost certainly will leave their biggest European draw, Kristaps Porzingis, back home.

But putting Porzingis on display for the British crowds is not nearly as important as the real showcase they hope isn’t far off. Knicks coach David Fizdale said he has seen Porzingis on the court working with assistant coach Kaleb Canales, and what he’s seen portends well for using the rehabilitating star as a drawing card for potential free agents.

Porzingis hasn’t played in a game since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Feb. 6, 2018, and he won’t play in a game for a while; the Knicks plan a re-evaluation in mid-February.

But Fizdale said that what he’s seen looks like the player who was poised to serve as the face of the franchise — and maybe even better.

“I don’t see a drop,” he said. “That I don’t see. I haven’t seen him move in a way that makes me go ”uh-oh.“I think we’re going about it the right way. His body looks great. He looks strong, he’s defined. It’s just a matter of time, and when we get him, we’ll be happy.”

The Knicks’ player development and rebuilding plan for this season looked good on paper. First, sacrifice wins right now. Mission accomplished with a 10-32 record. No matter how many times they say they want to win every game, they clearly have prioritized the future by benching win-now players. They have watched their latest first-round lottery pick, Kevin Knox, begin to show hints of what he can become and are positioning themselves to be near the top of the next NBA draft. Porzingis has been kept out of action, and when he’s healed in full, he might be teamed with a star free-agent acquisition next season.

But part of the problem is it’s hard to sell someone on playing with Porzingis when no one quite knows what to expect from him.

Knicks president Steve Mills detailed the process last month and said at the time that he already was seeing Porzingis shooting pull-up three-pointers and dunking. Fizdale said it’s still the same workload now, but mostly out of caution.

“We’re still being cautious, I would say,” he said. “But at the same time, just pushing, getting to the next level, jumping and moving, his strides and all of that stuff. Today I walked by and just put my hand up (hiding his eyes), because it’s just for me, it’s like, I can’t even say what it is.

“God, I’ve got this 7-foot beast here, so I’ll literally be like this,” he said, shielding his eyes again. “He started laughing. He said, ‘Don’t look, Coach. Don’t look.’ But he’s progressing, and I think he’s in a really good place right now.”

That place is the Knicks’ practice site in Westchester County rather than accompanying the team to London.