Kristaps Porzingis might have been booed when he was first drafted by the New York Knicks, but the power forward has done everything to win fans over and now is set to make the opening night start for the team. Porzingis has been a player on the rise for New York giving many fans hope that this season could be a turnaround for the franchise. While several starting spots remain up in the air, Porzingis has locked his down.
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, head coach Derek Fisher has named Porzingis the starter for opening night which means Derrick Williams will be coming off the bench in the spot. That is not exactly what the veteran had in mind when he signed a two-year deal in free agency, but Fisher believes the rookie fits the best in the spot.
"I saw aggression. I saw him going to the rim strong. I saw him rebounding. I saw him changing shots," Fisher said, via the Daily News. "He's been in and out with injuries, so the shooting, like I said, is not really my issue. I don't think we question whether he can shoot the ball. Seeing him try to dunk on somebody, to me, that means he played a good game."
Williams has certainly looked fine in the preseason, but Porzingis appears to have the better chemistry with Robin Lopez and Carmelo Anthony heading into the season. Fisher will have Williams come off the bench and lead the reserves headlined by Kyle O'Quinn and Sasha Vujacic who has seen time as the starter with the injury to Arron Affalo. The shooting guard has returned to the court and is shaking off rust in time to get the opening night nod.
The last starting spot in question is the point guard position. Jose Calderon, Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant have all seen plenty of time on the court and have looked good while there. According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, the Knicks will likely start Calderon thanks to his veteran knowledge, but Galloway and Grant will see plenty of playing time in the spot as well.
"I think he's enjoying the way our roster's constructed," Fisher said, via Newsday.com. "These are the type of guys that when you have the makeup that Jose has, there are certain guys that you enjoy playing with, certain guys that maybe not so much. As the leader of a team, it's important to feel like you can lead a group. But that group has to be willing to follow. And I think Jose feels good, like we have a group of guys that will follow the leader."