The young 2017-18 NBA campaign has brought a ton of headlines along with it, and no shortage of attention around the New York Knicks. After losing their primary scoring option in Carmelo Anthony this summer, everyone knew heaps of the offensive workload would have to be shouldered by Latvian 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis.
It remained to be seen whether the third-year man could handle the responsibility of being a #1 option but if these first 9 games have been any indication, Porzingis is ready to take on his expanded role in stride.
Other players across the league are starting to take notice of Porzingis’ vast potential, namely Suns center Tyson Chandler who said after a matchup with him that he could become the game’s best player. Porzingis was recently asked about Chandler’s praise and told New York Post’s Marc Berman that he agreed with what the veteran had to say:
“Those are some big words coming from him, I believe so, too. And that’s something I’m going to work towards.”
Though only a fraction of the season has gone by, the eye-popping numbers Kristaps Porzingis has been posting backs up that statement. Just last night we saw Porzingis eclipse that 40-point mark for the first time in his career and is averaging 30.2 points per game to go along with 7.8 rebounds on 50% shooting.
So, where has Porzingis found the motivation to take his game to new heights this season? Look no further than Knicks ex-President Phil Jackson who was just relieved of his duties this past summer. Jackson made comments months ago in April stating that he doesn’t believe Porzingis has what it takes to lead a team at the raw age of 21. According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, Porzingis has been using those remarks as motivation all throughout the first few weeks of this season:
Porzingis, who skipped his exit meeting with Jackson at the end of season over frustration with the state of the franchise, said on Sunday that Jackson’s remarks motivated him.
“Of course. The challenge is never too big for me. I always accept the challenge and that’s why I knew coming into this season [if] Melo was not going to be here, then I’m going to have to be that guy and that’s why I was just [spending] 24 hours in the gym. I was preparing for this, preparing myself physically, and I’m just happy that I’m capable of playing at this level right now.”
With Porzingis on an absolute tear and New York sitting at a surprising 5-4 record, the Knicks future behind their star power forward looks brighter than ever.
