Boos on draft night motivating Knicks rookie sensation
ORLANDO, Fla. — Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis said Tuesday the notorious kid shown on TV on draft night holding his head in his hands and appearing to cry after the 7foot3 Latvian was selected fourth in the draft now has his No. 6 jersey.
Doing a drivetime radio tour while with the club in Orlando Tuesday, Porzingis was asked by ESPN Radio host Michael Kay if he has seen the infamous video of the 10year boy sobbing.
“I’ve heard he already has my jersey,’’ said Porzingis, whose jersey is ranked seventh in sales on NBA.com, with the top six sellers variations of Stephen Curry’s Warriors jersey. “That’s kind of funny. He’s a kid, can’t blame him [for] doing that. I’m still a kid, too.’’
Porzingis, 20, has become November’s boy wonder in helping raise the Knicks to a surprisingly solid 87 record entering Wednesday’s game in Orlando, with his rebounding, blocking shots and scoring in every way possible.
Not what anyone expected from the Euorpean project when the selection was roundly booed at Barclays Center.
“I can feel the way people are enjoying the way we’re playing and I’m bringing something new to the team,’’ Porzingis said. “I can feel the support. I can’t stop at any moment [on the street]. If I stop, people would want autographs and I wouldn’t be able to move.’’
The Latvian admits he hasn’t quite forgotten the boos and skeptics who stated it would take him two years to make an impact. Instead, it didn’t even take two weeks.
“It still sits inside of you a bit,’’ Porzingis said of the boos. “It’s not a good feeling when you get booed. But I don’t want to be good because somebody booed me. I want to be great player because that’s the way I am. It definitely gave me extra motivation.’’
In a subsequent interview Tuesday with WFAN’s Mike Francesa, Porzingis said he’s not so happy with his performances quite yet, with his 42.3 shooting percentage — 34.1 from the 3point stripe. Both numbers are rising fast as Porzingis has a chance to be the first Knicks rookie to average a doubledouble since Willis Reed in 1964. He has scored 20 or more points three of the last four games and is averaging 13.7 points and 9.1 rebounds through 15 games.
“I’m still expecting bigger things from myself,’’ Porzingis said. “I’m still missing a lot of shots, still turning the ball over. I’ve had good games [but] I still could’ve done a better job.
“I’m never really happy with anything I do. I’m not happy about the shooting percentage. I know it will go up but I have to focus on it more.’’
How has he handled the attention? Porzingis said he has tried to stay more in the gym than going out on the streets of Manhat tan. He has said several times he’s only in the city for games as he lives in White Plains with his parents and two brothers.
“It’s in my hands,’’ Porzingis said on ESPN Radio. “I love the fans, love hanging out with them. My quiet place is in the gym. When I feel like going to church, it’s for me the MSG training facility and working on my game.’’
Porzingis said in the locker room after the Knicks loss Monday in Miami he hadn’t visited South Beach and had no plans to check out Disney World. It’s his firstever visit to Florida.
“I didn’t go to the beach yet, that’s for offseason,’’ Porzingis said. “I’ll get rest in the hotel.’’
Porzingis told Kay the celebrity he wished to meet most was actor Jerry Ferrara from “Entourage,” a noted Knicks fan who later called the station.
As for the record after low expectations,, Porzingis told WFAN, “I’m not surprised. I think we’re just getting started building something special. We have bad games here and there but we’re on the right track.’’