Kristaps Porzingis is the future of the Knicks and he hopes not being involved in the offense is a thing of the past.
The 7-3 Porzingis is often the biggest guy on the floor, but it seemed the Knicks forgot he was there in Wednesday's loss to Houston. He was held without a field goal (on four shots) for just the second time in his career, and scored just three points.
The Knicks made a conscious effort of finding him in Friday's 117-104 win over Chicago and giving him the ball when he had mismatches. Porzingis led the Knicks with 27 points.
"Maybe it's like a reality check," Porzingis said. "Things were going my way but I can't get too comfortable. I've got to be always better, I've got to be aggressive. I saw a situation where I could be more aggressive and where I can attack and I'm happy that we played the way we played."
Everything was working for the Knicks, who placed all five starters in double-figures and shot 51.7 percent from the field.
Derrick Rose, in his first game back in Chicago, had his best all-around game as a Knick. He played like he did when he was the 2010-11 league MVP. Rose finished with 15 points, 11 assists _ one more than he had total in the first four games of the season _ and seven rebounds.
Rose said that's the kind of floor game he can play consistently.
"I'm going to figure it out," Rose said. "That's what being great is all about or chasing greatness is all about, figuring out the game and adjusting to the NBA at that time."
The Knicks, who host the Utah Jazz Sunday afternoon, remain a work in progress on both ends of the floor. Their defense has been the biggest issue but getting used to playing with each other and in the triangle offense has been difficult for them.
The biggest difference Friday or the Knicks from the prior two games, when they lost by a combined 32 points, was they scored in transition, mixed in more pick-and-rolls in their sets and moved and shared the ball. The Knicks had a season-high 32 assists. Porzingis was the biggest beneficiary.
Before the game, Jeff Hornacek said the Knicks have to do a better job of finding Porzingis, especially when he has a mismatch. With his size, that's just about every time down the floor.
There were times Friday when the Bulls switched and Rajon Rondo or Dwyane Wade wound up on Porzingis, who is nearly a foot taller than both of them, and Rose and Carmelo Anthony noticed it and gave him the ball. Porzingis posted them up and scored inside or drew a foul. Porzingis shot 10-for-15 from the field
"We all realize that we have to use those mismatches that we have," Porzingis said. "Whether it's me, Melo or whoever it is. I don't know if teammates reacted to that or they just knew. I guess it's just reading the game. Teammates were able to find me and get me in good positions where I could shoot over those guys."
When the Knicks take the floor Sunday against the Jazz it will be interesting to see if they play with the same desperation and focus. It was obvious they rode the emotion of Rose and Joakim Noah being back in Chicago for the first time as visiting players.
"I think it was pretty obvious that we were definitely a team that was dealing with a couple losses," Noah said. "In New York City when you lose a couple games, you definitely feel it. When you win, it's the best. But when you lose, they're on you. It was good to bounce back. I think our team is going to keep growing. We need that adversity. That's when you know what a team is really made of."
