Twitter/Kristaps Porzingis
Among the NBA Rookies, Kristaps Porzingis promises to be one of the dark horses as some scouts say he might be better than top pick Karl Anthony Towns.
It should be recalled that Kristaps Porzingis was met with strong opposition from the New York Knicks fans when he was drafted by their team at no.4 overall.
It should be noted, though, that fans may have a limited perspective since they are only familiar with popular college players. NBA scouts have a much broader view and one of them claims that Porzingis may eventually become the best player in the 2016 Draft-even better than first overall pick Karl Anthony Towns.
Even before the draft, there were already rumblings that the Latvian big man was worth the risk. NBC Sports quoted an unnamed scout that he was "the best player in the draft" even over first pick Towns.
However, they did acknowledge that Towns was the "safer" pick and that the first three teams (Timberwolves, Lakers and Sixers) may not roll the dice. As expected, it was the Knicks who eventually did.
As the NBA Summer League concluded, fans and media had a better view of Kristaps Porzingis, and some of the critics have been converted. They slowly discovered aspects of his game as well as his attitude.
Porzingis is a fighter and he's definitely ready for the more physical games of the NBA, as he told CBS: "I think you can see out there I'm fighting with the guys even though they're 10 or 15 pounds heavier than me. I don't have a hard problem with contact."
Porzingis celebrated his 20th birthday on August 2, and it served as a reminder to Knicks fans to temper their expectations. An appeal from The Daily Knicks says Porzingis can "save the Knicks" if he is allowed to develop properly. But if he is unfairly criticized, he might crumble under the scrutiny.
Some Summer League highlights show the Latvian's defense, shooting and overall skills.
