When the New York Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the draft, there were plenty of questions about the young, lanky center’s ability to contribute immediately to the team.
While we won’t know just how valuable he will be to the Knicks next season and beyond, there have certainly been some positive glimpses in the early going in Summer League action. Going up against third overall pick Jahlil Okafor and the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, Porzingis held his own and ended the contest with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field to go with three rebounds, three assists, a steal and three blocks.
All of those blocks came against Okafor:
As you can see below, Porzingis also appears to have supreme confidence in his outside shot:
Keep in mind that this is just Summer League, but the center is giving plenty of reasons for the fans that booed him during draft night to change their minds rather quickly. Here’s what the soon-to-be rookie had to say about the 84-81 win.
Got that W against Philly. It was great going up against my guy @JahlilOkafor pic.twitter.com/2D0SOAJ8Bc
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) July 15, 2015
Jim Park is a blogger and editor of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.