Porzingis sought advice from Garnett on how to handle boos
The announcement of 7-foot-3 Latvian Kristaps Porzingis as the New York Knicks' fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft was met with much disdain by those in attendance at Barclays Center on June 25.
The selection elicited memories of former Knicks players Frederic Weis (who never even suited up for the team) and Andrea Bargnani - European bigs whose names bring great heartache to those in the Big Apple.
It was unfair to categorize Porzingis before he had a chance to make a first impression, but for a franchise yearning for relevancy after dwelling in mediocrity for so long, rolling with an apparent project on the team's highest pick since Patrick Ewing in 1985 had little chance of inspiring confidence.
Porzingis, not forgetting the boos and heckles he encountered on draft night, approached veteran Kevin Garnett - arguably the most relentless trash talker the NBA has ever seen - during the Las Vegas Summer League to seek advice on how to handle all of the negativity from the Knicks' fan base.
"He was like, 'You use that as motivation, you let that drive you every day when you step onto the floor,'" Porzingis said when recalling the encounter on Wednesday, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "And that's what I'm trying to do. I don't really focus on it, that's not the only thing that drives me, but it still sits inside me on the floor.
"That was huge. That was a really cool moment."
With strong play and a hard-nosed brand of basketball, Porzingis has started winning over cynics and naysayers in a big way to open the 2015-16 season, averaging a near double-double of 13.4 points and 9.1 rebounds for the 8-8 Knicks. He remains realistic, though, knowing full and well that his slim physique needs to be worked upon so that he may continue to be assertive on both ends of the floor in the future.
"I think I still need to add some strength and weight. But with my aggressiveness, I'll be able to make that up for the physicalness that I lack a little bit," he said. "During the offseason I'll work really hard on my body to get stronger and in the future I hope I can help the team in both positions."