If you have watched a New York Knicks game this season, chances are high that your attention was slowly focusing in on a rail-thin European who stood taller than every other player on the court yet ran like a gazelle. And while his ridiculous 7′ 3″ height astounded you, the skills he showed off on the court left you speechless. Dribbling the ball like a guard, draining three point shots, crashing the boards and swatting away shots left and right, you find yourself asking, “Who is this guy? How is it physically possible for him to do these things? And how in the heck do you pronounce that name?”
Ever since New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (pronounced KRIS-tops por-ZING-giss) became a bonafide NBA-prospect in 2014, he has been on an adventure unlike many we have ever seen. The Latvian born player burst onto NBA scouts’ radars after declaring himself eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft. Porzingis eventually withdrew from the draft, but his combination of skill and immense potential left an impression on anybody who saw him play.
After spending the next year ranked among the top-prospects, Porzingis declared for the 2015 NBA Draft. However, there were plenty of people who were unsure of how Porzingis would fare in the NBA. And even if he could become an impact player, the general consensus was it would take at least several years before he would reach his potential. So when the win-hungry New York Knicks took Porzingis with the fourth-overall pick, there were a few people that were not very happy with the decision.
Okay maybe that was putting it lightly, as you can see a child donning his Knicks jersey sobbing once the team’s selection was made. So Porzingis could have let the pressure and intense scrutiny he was under wreck his confidence, or he could go out there and prove to everybody that he belonged. There is no doubt he chose the latter of the two options.
Through his first 14 games in his NBA career, Porzingis is averaging (on a per-game basis), 13.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.7 steals while posting a shooting line of .427/.308/.830 (field goal percentage, three-point shot percentage and free throw percentage). In the past week alone, Porzingis has recorded a double-double in two of three games with 29 points and 11 rebounds against Charlotte and 24 points and 14 rebounds against Rockets. He even came close to recording a triple-double against the Rockets with seven blocks!
The New York Knicks, winners of four-straight games, aren’t likely to be a championship-contender this year, but with Porzingis continuing to develop and adjust to the rigors of the NBA, the future certainly looks bright in “The Big Apple.”