With the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Isaiah Thomas injured, it’s tough to decide how well he’s going to play, but after his historic 2016-17 season with the Boston Celtics, we know he’s good. Another player that is worth watching: the New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis. What a duo that team would make!
Porzingis said, “Until that moment comes when the ball comes to me every time, I have to find a way to be effective with offensive rebounds, play hard defense, blocking shots.” Porzingis is a hardworking player who, while is effective with the ball, is always making plays away from the ball to help better his team. Thomas said, “You have to develop your whole game to completion.” This shows that he, like Porzingis, while is a phenom when the basketball is in his hands, works insanely hard to make sure his entire game is at the best he can be. When you put any two hard-working people together, the result is always impressive, but they’re not always the best. With IT and the Latvian behemoth, the stats speak for themselves: Porzingis averaged 18.1 points per game, 2 blocks per game, 1.5 assists per game, 7.2 rebounds per game and hit 2.1 three pointers per game last year. This year, in 24 games, he’s averaging 25.5 points per game, 2.1 blocks per game, 1.3 assists, 6.6 rebounds per game and made roughly 47% of his shots. Thomas averaged 28.9 points per game, 5.9 assists per game, hit 3.2 three pointers per game, and hit 46% of his shots in the 2016-17 season. He’s currently recovering from his various injuries as a member of the Cavs, but he’s made promising progress in recent weeks. Currently shorthanded due to the loss of future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are in desperate need of scoring addition to Porzingis. Thomas’s contract expires at the end of the 2017-18 season. What would keep him in Cleveland if LeBron James takes initiative and departs for another city to become the star of a winning ballclub, again? Boston most likely wouldn’t want Thomas’s high priced salary back on their payroll considering that they’re already paying Kyrie Irving the maximum to play point guard. Many teams either have all the pieces they need and if they don’t have all the pieces, they don’t have any. Another option for I.T. is the Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo is a great scorer on a playoff team, and Eric Bledsoe, their current point guard only scored 21.1 points per game, made 6.3 assists per game, hit 1.6 three point shots per match and only made 43% of his shots. So far, he’s only scored 17.4 points per game, made 4.1 assists per game, hit 1.5 three pointers per game, and only made 44% of his field goals. Thomas definitely has the upper hand, despite his being four inches shorter, over Bledsoe. The current lead ball-handler for the Manhattan-based NBA team is 19 year old rookie out of Ixelles, Belgium, Frank Ntilikina. The Belgian product of Rwandan parents has had a turbulent start, scoring only 5.9 points per game, with 3.4 assist per match, only hitting 0.6 threes per night, and has a 36% shooting percentage. He’s first in the Knicks’ depth chart, so Thomas would be a welcome addition to their squadron. The Knicks have the cap room to add Thomas to their team and New York City is one the best sports markets on Planet Earth. Granted, in recent years, I.T.’s beloved Boston has proven itself to be the best sports market in America, if not the world (I mean, they’ve won at least one championship in each of their Big Four sports teams in the last decade, not going without a championship for more than three years), but as I previously stated, with Irving on their payroll, they Danny Ainge doesn’t particularly want Thomas back. The Knicks could very well be a playoff team as they are the current eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but imagine them with a seasoned point guard making a dynamic duo of all-stars Isaiah Thomas and Kristaps Porzingis. Jesse A. Cook “Will The Knicks Get Isaiah Thomas?” December 16, 2017
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