Happy Birthday, Kristaps: 5 best plays from Porzingis' rookie season
Lest we forget that when Kristaps Porzingis was drafted fourth overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, fans practically booed him out of the Barclays Center and were calling for president Phil Jackson's head.
That moment in time is now just a thing of the past, as Porzingis' rookie campaign ended up being one of the pleasant surprises of the 2015-16 campaign for Knicks supporters and basketball fans alike. The 7-foot-3 Latvian finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Karl-Anthony Towns, averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.9 rejections.
The "PorzinGod" is celebrating his 21st birthday on Tuesday, so in honor of the special occasion, let's take a look back at some of his more memorable highlights from year one in The Big Apple.
Porzingis takes flight north of the border
You'd think that with James Johnson, Luis Scola, and Jonas Valanciunas under the basket, it would be difficult for someone on the Knicks to snag an offensive rebound off of Carmelo Anthony's missed 3-pointer.
Well, you'd be wrong.
Porzingis leaps over Aldridge for putback jam
Move (Aldridge), get out the way. Get out the way (Aldridge), get out the way.
Porzingis viciously cleans up Galloway's missed 3
The only thing missing from Porzingis' reaction following yet another putback slam is his hair glowing bright gold and beams of energy being shot out of his hands like a super saiyan.
Porzingis takes the veteran back to school
Being six inches shorter than the man he was defending in the post spelled doom for Jared Dudley out of the gate.
To be fair, though, it wasn't the height discrepancy which did him in, but Porzingis' fancy footwork and agility with his back to the basket that led to Dudley's demise.
Porzingis ices the Heat on defense
Porzingis was in the giving mood against the Miami Heat, akin to how Oprah Winfrey was with her audience during her special giveaways.
Justise Winslow and big man Hassan Whiteside both got rejected in the span of three seconds. How thoughtful, rookie.