By: Faisal Quyyumi, contributing intern (@faisalquyyumi) As a NBA athlete, there are certain moments that truly define your career and help you realize your maximum potential. For some, it maybe losing in the NBA Finals, or sustaining a career-ending injury, or watching others succeed and bask in their glory. For Kristaps Porzingis, it was being welcomed to a room full of boo’s when he was drafted by the New York Knicks as the 4th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Porzingis stated, “I have to do everything that’s in my hands to turn those booing fans into clapping fans.” During Summer League, Porzingis averaged a modest 10.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He is often compared to Pau Gasol but is capable of being more offensively well-rounded due to his agility and silky-shooting stroke. However, he continues to prove all his doubters wrong, including the New York faithful who are starting to appreciate his talent. He is currently averaging 12.8 points per game and an impressive 18.2 points per 36 minutes played. On Tuesday night, Porzingis casually lit up the court by dropping 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while shooting an astonishing fifty-eight percent from the field. After the Knicks 8-point victory over the Charlotte Hornets, he went on to say, “Everybody was saying that I was a project, to wait a few years. I will get better in a few years, but I knew I was able to play right now. That was my mentality.” Porzingis is only 20-years-old. He is the highest draft pick in Latvian history and has unlimited potential. He currently leads the team in rebounds with 8.6 per game and is the early runaway for Rookie of the Year with only a month into the association. Whether you are able to tell or not, Porzingis oozes basketball intelligence years beyond his rookie classmates level and shows no signs of slowing down. However, Porzingis is only shooting 45% from the field for a player who mostly relies on scoring within the paint and a putrid 26% from three-point range. The New York Knicks are playing the Oklahoma City Thunder next, which will be a great way for Porzingis to see if he is ready enough to handle the fierceness of Serge Ibaka and other talented big-men in the league.
