Looking through the Knicks’ summer league roster, there seems to be a fair amount of familiar names. Cleanthony Early, Langston Galloway, Ricky Ledo, and Travis Wear all played for New York last year. Meanwhile Thanasis Antetokounmpo played for the Westchester Knicks. Finally, Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant were drafted this year, and we’ve gone through their potential strengths and weaknesses.
So as I browsed through the roster, one name stuck out: Ovidijus Galdikas. I decided to check on this 7 foot 1 inch center, and think I’ve found a gem. Throwing away numerical analysis, because it’s led me astray in the past (Cole Aldrich), I decided to use my eyes only. And Galdikas is going to be a great NBA player. Witness for yourself.
What we have here is a player that consistently gets open under the hoop. In just about every play, the Lithuanian is receiving the ball near the basket, without a defender in sight, and is flushing the ball for an easy score. This great ability of finding the open spot on the floor where there are no defenders is a skill that doesn’t show up in the box score. Galdikas is going to revolutionize the NBA with this tactic.
Also notice his soft hands. In every single play, Ovidijus catches the ball cleanly, which makes for a smooth finish. This is true whether the pass is on the ground, or in the air. It’s clear from the video that any ball thrown at him is instantly caught. Again this is a fact that neither PER nor WS encapsulates.
And when opposing players attempt a shot in his vicinity, Galdikas is there for the block. Every time. Boom!
Clearly once summer league breaks, the Knicks will have a problem on their hands. With Galdikas as their opening day starting center, what do they do with Robin Lopez? Also how will Porzingis take it when the Lithuanian Lob Lord steals the spotlight as a Knicks rookie? Although New York will have these problems on their hands, I can’t wait to see what Galdikas brings to the 2016 Knicks.