Awareness and Attitude is Absolutely Present:
So why didn’t Darko Milicic or Andrea Bargnani work out as high international NBA Draft picks?
Well, quite frankly, they didn’t want it enough and didn’t have a great sense for the game of basketball. The skill was there, the want-to and desire wasn’t.
From all indications it seems Zinger possesses those all-important qualities.
He plays heavier than he actually is down low while rebounding; he boxes out and is fundamentally sound in many ways; he even dove on the ground out of bounds for a 50/50 ball that eventually would up hurting the Knicks in transition and costed them two-points.
Above everything, his awareness on both ends of the floor is astounding for somebody so green to the NBA and the country. Usually, a 19-year old project has the skill while the team works on developing the overall sense of the game, waiting for that to develop to catch the skill.
This kid is different. He eats, sleeps and drinks basketball. This has many New Yorkers hyped and believing that Porzingis wants to be the best. And as we all know, wanting and working to be the best is half the battle in a league that is filled with immense skill.
Ladies and gentlemen, Kristaps Porzingis is for real.
