Kristaps Porzingis didn't come into the US with much fanfare. Drafted fourth by the Knicks in the 2015-16 season, he was met with a loud booing from the New York crowd. Kristaps was seen as just another failure by the Knicks management that was spearheaded by the ex-president of basketball operations Phil Jackson, the 11 time champion coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.
And then New York fell in love with him.
He was 7'1" when he was drafted, with a 7'9" wingspan. He grew to be 7'3"(and growing) and now has a 8' wingspan. People knew of his shooting prowess, but they didn't know how intense he would be defensively. His putback dunks has become a thing of legend. He's quick, agile, athletic, and long. He doesn't have hands like Giannis Antetokuompo of the Milwaukee Bucks, but he can knock down a three from anywhere outside the arc. He's an excellent rim protector. He is a good rebounder and has potential to be a great rebounder as gets stronger. Oh, did I mention that he's only 21?
One of his nicknames is "the Unicorn", because he's like nothing ever seen before. He's long, lanky, strong, bold, and fun. He knocks down the three. He chases his own missed shots and dunks it on unassuming rebounders. He blocks shots with authority. He's the team's best defender and the best scorer.
There were questions about his maturity following his feud with the then Knicks President Phil Jackson. Their relationship deteriorated when Phil Jackson started to mistreat the team's most popular player in Carmelo Anthony. Kristaps saw it as a revelation into his own future - if he's willing to do that to a 13-year veteran, would he do the same to KP in the future? Now with Phil Jackson gone and trade rumors of Carmelo Anthony abounding, the hope is that Kristaps becomes the anchor of the team becomes the centerpiece that revives the New York Knickerbockers basketball dominance beyond the era of Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and Doc Rivers.
