Former Knicks Star Gets Shot at Revenge

It's been nearly 10 years since the New York Knicks made Kristaps Porzingis the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Now, the Knicks find him on the opposite end of the court in a playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

The Athletic insider Fred Katz believes that Porzingis could cause problems against his former team.

"Porzingis unlocks Boston’s most dangerous mode," Katz wrote.

"Towns, assuming he starts on Porzingis, will need to stray far beyond the 3-point arc to close out on deep 3s. Porzingis, meanwhile, will likely begin the series guarding Hart, the same way the Pistons placed centers on Hart last round. Tatum and Jrue Holiday, as they did during the regular season, should take turns on Towns. The strategy will allow a 7-foot-3 tower to roam into the paint, taking away driving lanes, layups and dunks."

Porzingis poses a massive matchup problem for the Knicks, who usually boast a much smaller lineup than the Celtics. If Porzingis can stretch the floor and force the Knicks to play a larger lineup, likely one with Mitchell Robinson defending him, it will weaken New York's offense since either Towns, OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges will likely have to sit.

The Knicks will throw a bunch of different looks at Porzingis, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but there are so many different ways for the Celtics to win that it will make New York's job very hard.

New York will have to get creative in its coverages if it wants to beat Boston, mixing and matching what works and what doesn't. The problem is that there isn't a lot that can be thrown at Boston that the team cannot figure out. The Celtics are the defending champs for a reason, and the Knicks will have to put on a Herculean performance just to squeak out one win, let alone four.