A player standing seven feet tall who can score in the post, shoot from deep with ease, defend at the rim and handle the ball is a rarity. Before this season, the player we could closely relate these skills to was Oklahoma City Thunder star, Kevin Durant. The long, former MVP had all the tools that a guy his size shouldn’t have and now there’s another player who’s beginning to show signs of a younger Kevin Durant.
New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis stands at a listed 7’3″, he can do some great things around the rim with his post moves and putback slams, he can knock down three’s, defend at the rim and has the length to pop out on shooters on defense along with a nice little handle, but it could use some work.
Kristaps definetely can refine his craft but Durant says he knew as soon as the Knicks drafted him that they would be getting quite possibly the steal of the draft.
Following from Royce Young of ESPN.com.
Kevin Durant lauded the talent of Kristaps Porzingis on Monday, calling the Knicks rookie an NBA “unicorn” because of his combination of size and skill.
“When they made the pick, I texted [Knicks head coach Derek Fisher] immediately and said ‘I like this kid, he can play.’ A lot of people were down on him, but he can play. He’s a skilled guy and I think we’ve gotten away from enjoying skilled players in this league. We get so many players that are athletic and big and strong, but he’s a skilled player.”
“He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he’s a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the 3-point line,” Durant said. “That’s rare. And block shots — that’s like a unicorn in this league.”
Durant giving Porzingis such high praise, even if it is in a cartoonish way, should mean a lot to the young rookie. He came into this season under so much scrutiny from a number of people and now he’s consistently proving people wrong as he improves in the league. Kristaps is one of a kind and the only one who can match him is Durant.
Just do yourself a favor, don’t think this means anything. Durant is just showing Kristaps some respect and nothing more. It’s not a plea from Kevin to leave the Thunder and join Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps and the Knicks.
