Is Kristaps Porzing resurfacing as a DC All-Star?

Kristaps Porzingis looks like an All-Star again, pinning the rookie Washington Wizards on both sides of the ball.

Ever since a torn ACL caused him to miss the entire 2018-2019 season (opening the chain of unfortunate events that followed), Kristaps Porzis has been desperately trying to recapture the magic that earned him a 2017-2018 All-Star nomination.

Well, if his standing in the widely cited single-digit metrics is any indication, his attempts to reignite the flame have finally paid off — he ranks 35th in the league in everything from to drip to me raptor. We know what you’re thinking. These kinds of comprehensive stats work like Ash Ketchum – they don’t really capture all of them.

That assessment is correct, but these metrics are a strong indicator of how well a player will do in his specific role, and so far, Porzingis plays like an All-Star in his Washington role.

So… what exactly is this role?

Attention is strangely dulled

The NBA is funny because everyone is raving about hot offensive starter Laurie Markkanen (me including). But no one seems to notice Borzies’ success in Washington.

Here’s a thought exercise for you, but which player do you prefer: Player A or Player B?

It might be Player B (Markkanen) but there wasn’t much difference between him and Player A (Porzingis).

Like single-digit metrics, recording and playback data also need additional context to be fully understood. To sprinkle that here, both Porziņģis and Markkanen have over 80 percent of their field goal attempts from two dribbles or fewer (according to NBA.com).

This means that two 7-footers are deployed in a similar offensive fashion (like finals play) and Markkanen is more effective in this situation.

Porziņģis one thing Likes About being in the Washington Wizards is that they posted it. These are not tedious and ineffective subsequent operations for the early periods. These are quick strikes against smaller opponents that are set up by the ball screens against switching defences.

When Washington played the Utah Jazz (Markakanen’s team, ironically enough), they countered their heavy-handed scheme by using a pick-and-roll to force smaller guards (like Mike Conley) into bigger Boerzies at the post. From there, there are three possible outcomes: 1) an easy shot for the Latvian big guy (ie, the clip above), 2) a foul, or 3) a double team that creates a 4v3 advantage for the offense.

Besides these subsequent blitz runs, Borziese’s primary offensive duties include scoring catches, points, rebounds, etc. Pretty much anything that enables him to arm his shooting accuracy and high point shooting.

No matter the design of the play, he’s able to contribute to offense in quick and meaningful ways, which made him a perfect fit for the Wizards’ offense.

What about the other side of the ball?

While their attacking advantages are debatable, Porziņģis did beat Markkanen on the other side of the ball.

Markkanen has matured a lot in this area since he’s been in Chicago, but the Jazz often has to deploy two big lineups and gamble in order to hide his flaws. Meanwhile, wizards are counting on Porziņģis to anchor their unit rank 6th over his unit (note: this rank would be higher, but wizards have some A competitor’s worst luck in shooting in the league).

To do this, they publish a file Deep drop As a primary cover for them to play with his defensive strengths (his impressive size and wingspan). Keeping him close to the paint also puts him in an excellent position to compete for a large number of shots (he is currently the fourth league in defensive field goal attempts).

Its presence in paint also serves as a deterrent to potential trespassers. Yes, he competes in a lot of shots, but he also blocks a lot of them. The Wizards are third in the league in opponent edge hesitation, and 29th in short midrange attempts surrendered (per glass cleaning). This means that drivers attack, seeing bourgeois lurking in the shadows, and opt for less efficient floats and short pulls on the outriggers.

Injuries limited Borzies’ mobility. However, like ava wallace from Washington Post mentionedPorziņģis – in an effort to stay healthy and be smarter – has lost seven pounds this off-season, which is evident when you watch him tango with the faster ball coaches.

Wizards usually start with a drop, but sometimes they like to change the covering shape to a key late in the sequence (they call this “delayed switchWhen they do, they put the onus on Borzies to stay with a smaller defender and, more often than not, he delivers.

As the Milwaukee Bucks taught us during their 2020-21 career, you should be able to play many different coverages. With Porziņģis, witches have this flexibility, and their ceiling is higher because of it.

Let’s return to the question of Christaps Porcingis’ role

We mentioned Markkanen earlier, but when you analyze both sides of the ball, doesn’t Porziis remind you of Myles Turner?

Think about it for a second. Who is Turner as a player? Kabir protects the paint and can extend his defenses by firing outside. This looks eerily similar to the player archetype we outlined above.

Another thing to consider, Turner has been at the center of every business conversation over the past few seasons primarily because of his rare and highly desirable skill set. This is what Porziis offers. The type of production that was in such high demand. And you know what, he might have played himself better than Turner.

This year, the Wizards defense has exceeded six and a half points per 100 possessions when Porziņģis is on the court. Meanwhile, their offense improves by 15.3 points when their 7-foot-3 big guy is there. In all, that plus -21.6 per 100 possession differential for the Wizards when Porziņģis is on the ground is in the 99th percentile (per glass cleaning). We don’t even need to share Turner’s numbers with you for perspective because Porziņģis really at the top of the on and off food chain.

Maybe those single-digit metrics were right after all. Perhaps, too quietly, Porziis has re-emerged as an all-star.

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