Kristaps Porzingis an example of unpredictability of NBA Draft Lottery
Mavericks center Dwight Powell, left, guards Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis during the first half of an NBA game Friday in Washington. Credit: AP
While the Knicks run down the final days of their dismal present and look ahead to the future, Friday will bring another reminder of the past.
They will take on the Washington Wizards in a game that is crucial only for its effect on the number of ping-pong balls awaiting the two teams in the NBA Draft Lottery. The two teams are tied at 35-45 and have split the first two meetings, so this likely will determine who pushes ahead of the other in the lottery.
But as the Knicks consider their roster and the upcoming draft, Kristaps Porzingis stands before them as a 7-3 reminder of how the best-laid plans can go awry.
Porzingis was the No. 4 overall pick by the Knicks in the 2015 NBA Draft, a “unicorn” who was supposed to take over the NBA and lead the franchise out of the long period of struggles in which it was mired.
Instead, he was dealt away in a cap-clearing move, and the Knicks are still chasing the Next Big Thing and preparing for another night of wishful thinking in the lottery.
The Knicks have gone through the final portion of this season seeking a nudge of momentum to carry into next season rather than a handful of extra ping-pong balls.
They enter Friday tied with Washington for 10th place in the lottery. But the frustration on the face of RJ Barrett after Wednesday’s loss to the Nets emphasized what they have insisted: They are playing to win down the stretch — take the performance that built a 21-point lead in the third quarter and hope to remedy the problems that turned that into a loss.
They will be without Julius Randle, Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel, who have been shut down for the season. Quentin Grimes (sore right knee) is questionable and Mitchell Robinson (non-COVID illness) is out.
But the missing rotation pieces have left the Knicks with the chance to up the minutes for some of their younger players. Second-year forward Obi Toppin played 43 minutes Wednesday night and has averaged 19.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 36.4 minutes in the last three games.
Rookie center Jericho Sims played 36:44 against the Nets and posted his first career double-double.
While Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau praised Sims’ growth, the quiet second-round pick shrugged at the accomplishment.
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Sims said. “I just played a little more and trying to get as many rebounds as I can, finishing as many lobs and dunks as I can, simple as that.”
The chance for improving the lottery odds are slight enough that it’s hard to argue with the approach of using these games as a building block for the future.
It once was a future that included Porzingis, now on the third stop of his career. He has played well for the Wizards, putting up 26 points and 18 rebounds in his last game. And now it remains to be seen who will be back from the current roster for the Knicks’ immediate future.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
