I can safely say that nobody saw this coming, at least not this early. With the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA draft the New York Knicks selected a nineteen year old kid named Kristaps Prozingis from Latvia.
He wasn’t very well known especially by those in the U.S. and there wasn’t huge hype surrounding him like the college stars who had been locks to be selected months prior to the draft. The Knicks organization hasn’t been relevant since the late 90’s when I was rocking braids (like Kristaps surprisingly) asking my mom to buy me Jordans.
Naturally fans showed their distaste for the pick. Boo’s came from the Barclays center in Brooklyn as well as from all corners of the world. Seriously what were they thinking? With an aging superstar coming off injury, a new coach and one of the worst seasons in organization history in the books (17-65) the Knicks needed a sure thing not a project that would take years for results.
Fast forward to early
December 2015 and the Knicks while not quite on par to catch the golden state warriors, are having early success that most NBA fans didn’t anticipate. A few roster changes here and there, noteworthy signing of defensive center Robin Lopez, the biggest story though, has been the production from Rookie Kristaps. Currently he is averaging 14 ppg, 9 rebs and 1 asst. Very impressive numbers from a player most deemed “too weak” especially lacking upper body strength. Not only is it the numbers but how he’s getting them. Tip-in dunks, turn around fade away jumpers, he’s not only good but exciting to watch.
He also possesses immediate star qualities. He’s relatable, social media savvy and interacts with fans. His adjustment to US culture seems immediate, almost no accent can be detected in his speech, he listens to hip hop and rocked braids mimicking Allen Iverson as a child. The future seems to be bright for the Knicks and there young star who has the basketball world shocked right now.
