New York Must Be Patient

The New York Knicks used their fourth overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft to select Kristaps Porzingis, a 19 year old prospect from Latvia. He is not very well known in America which has made for a lot of controversy surrounding his selection. Most fans at the draft booed the selection hoping they would select a prospect that would help the Knicks in the near future instead of having to wait for Porzingis to reach his sky high potential. Yesterday, July 11th, Kristaps made his NBA summer league debut tallying 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks in his 18 minutes of play. The crowd at the game seemed much more supportive than they had on draft night by chanting “Porzingis” whenever he stepped to the free throw line. Kristaps appreciated  the support from the fans but also was humorous when explaining the lack of support he has received on social media. His humor will go a long way in his ability to survive in New York since it is well known New York fans are some of the harshest for every team they root for. And since New Yorkers always want to win now, it will be difficult for the young Latvian to keep his smile through his first few developmental years in the association. Kristaps will also have it tougher then the other prospects in his class because he will be in the spotlight of New York. The media will scrutinize every one of his ups and downs through his career making it difficult for him to solely focus on his development. He is a skinny seven footer who has a beautiful shooting stroke and great athleticism, but the lack of size is everyone’s biggest concern. As the author points out, Porzingis had trouble grabbing rebounds since others were just bullying him on the boards not allowing him to stand his ground. Even Porzingis himself recognized this by saying after the game, “I’ve got to get stronger.” Kristaps has a long way to go in order to develop into the superstar Knicks fans hope for him to be, but with time he should get there as long as the fans don’t run him out of New York before he reaches his potential.

kristpas prozingis

 

2 thoughts on “New York Must Be Patient

  1. Nicholas Ciatto

    I really enjoyed reading about your thoughts on the Knicks selection. I agree that the Knicks will have to develop Porzingis’s skills before he can produce like a top 5 pick, and the Knicks fans will just have to wait until his game transitions to the NBA. Good job!

  2. Matt Blevins

    Good job thoroughly analyzing the situation, Gary. It really sounds like a legitimate sports journal article. I’m interested to see how this move plays out for the Knicks.

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