One player that folks have compared to New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis is 38-year-old Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. The two had a chance to square up recently and Big Dirk was pretty much impressed with what the 20-year-old Latvian has showed thus far.
While he is honored by being the benchmark for the Knicks rookie, he believes that Porzingis will continue to get better. Comparing it to his younger years, Nowitzki sees his heir apparent more advanced compared to how he started in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as mentioned in a report by ESPN.
And one thing he singles out is the kid is already averaging double-doubles, something that perhaps stands out and would be unfair for the Latvian who has proven a lot of critics wrong.
When both matched up, Nowtizki admits that Porzingis is for real. He can score, long and athletic, and was even instrumental for the Knicks who battled back from 23 points to close the gap to four at one point.
The Knicks still lost but the thing is Porzingis can do wonders for the Knicks given time.
For his part, Porzingis credits Nowtizki for opening the path to the NBA for European players. But he does admit that he needs to work more to achieve (if not overtake) what Nowitzki has done in the NBA.
Right now, he is on the right track. Porzingis is averaging 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per outing and has been a big boost for the Knicks who were practically counted out. Worse, they were even criticized on Porzingis selection, so apologies could be in order for questioning the Knicks' decision to draft the lanky 7-foot-3 Latvian.
Porzingis didn't exactly have a warm welcome when he was chosen as the Knicks 2015 NBA pick. Apparently, Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher did their scouting on Porzingis; and based on the latter's performance so far, it seems that they chose well.
