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Knicks rookie Porzingis getting star attention without Melo

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Kristaps Porzinigis is the focus of opposing defenses in the games Carmelo Anthony has missed.Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

Kristaps Porzinigis is the focus of opposing defenses in the games Carmelo Anthony has missed.

MEMPHIS – Kristaps Porzingis says he has a lot to learn from Carmelo Anthony about being THE star.

With Anthony out the last two games because of a sprained ankle, Porzingis has been the focus of the defense’s attention, a burden that intensifies in crunch time.

Against Brooklyn on Wednesday, it was Thaddeus Young who was “up in my jersey,” Porzingis said. On Saturday in Memphis, the rookie put together a strong first quarter before feeling the pressure from Zach Randolph.

“He was all over me, not really worrying about anything else,” Porzingis said. “Just sticking like glue.”

PORZINGIS JOINS CARMELO ON KNICKS’ INJURY LIST

The Knicks (20-22) lost both games, falling to 0-4 this season without Anthony. Porzingis managed a combined five points on three shots in the fourth quarters at Memphis and Brooklyn, acknowledging Saturday that he couldn’t crack the pressure to get reasonable looks.

It’s one thing to breakthrough as a surprise out of Latvia. It’s another to breakdown defenses that are game-planning to make a 20-year-old uncomfortable.

“It was tough for me because they were paying more attention to me but I have to score in those situations,” Porzingis said. “It’s a learning process. I’m not going to come in the league and know how to do that. They put a lot of pressure on me. As I grow as a player, I need to be able to find those positions where I can get the ball, make sure I can attack and not be running around.”

Marc Gasol (l.) of the Grizzlies puts the clamps on Porzingis Saturday night.Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

Marc Gasol (l.) of the Grizzlies puts the clamps on Porzingis Saturday night.

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Porzingis, a basketball junkie by all accounts, said he will watch film and study a player he gets to see everyday, one who is accustomed to the defensive attention. For the last 12 seasons, Anthony has been the leading scorer on his team. Only one other player can make that claim: LeBron James.

“I have to learn from Carmelo, the way he does it,” Porzingis said with Anthony’s status in doubt for Monday’s game against Philly because of a sprained ankle. “He always gets the ball whenever we need him to get the ball and those are the things I need to learn.”

One of the ways Memphis denied Porzingis was pressuring him in transition even without the ball at the top of the key, thwarting, as young forward said, “one of my best shots.” Porzingis has played well and was New York’s leading scorer in the games without Anthony, but the telling stat is this: the Knicks have been outscored 132-97 in four fourth quarters and one overtime of those contests, when the game speeds up and defenses get physical with Porzingis.

“They’re taking away stuff from me so I have to respond to that and find new ways to score,” he said.

It’s the next step in the evolution of a budding superstar.

Tags:
kristaps porzingis ,
carmelo anthony

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