NY Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis is taking the NBA world by storm and it looks like the future is bright for the Latvian prospect.
First touted as a bust since he is a foreign 7-footer with little data available about him, NY Knicks fans are now enjoying the sights of his incredible shooting stroke and scintillating put back dunks. The Knicks rookie said that didn't bother him at all because he loves pressure and now, he is ripping the rewards.
"The first day I got drafted, I felt the fans were really passionate about basketball and there was going to be a lot of pressure. I knew that, but I wanted to be in New York because I love pressure," Porzingis told Yahoo Sports. "I knew we could do big things here in the future. If you can succeed in New York, you can succeed anywhere."
But to some, this didn't come as a surprise especially for those who saw how hard this kid is working to improve his game. According to trainer Joe Abunassar, Porzingis breathes basketball day and night.
"His culture is basketball,"said Abunassar. "What he does at night is basketball. He trains in the morning and shoots extra at night. Whether you're in Seville, Spain, New York or Vegas, when you talk about the cultural differences, he's not much of a, 'Hey, let's go experience the culture.' It's. 'Let's go to the gym.' If you keep your culture tight like that, it's easy to adjust."
Porzingis also said that one of his biggest inspirations is his brother, Janis. Meanwhile, his brother is not surprised with the popularity his brother is amassing right now. He just knows his brother won't be complacent especially when he reaches tremendous success in the league.
"I think this is the thing: Once the level of talent goes up, the laziness goes up also. He doesn't have that," Janis Porzingis said. "He loves it. It's not like he goes home and thinks, 'Oh my God, this is so difficult.' He actually enjoys it."
