The big man from Latvia, Kristaps Porzingis, showed the entire world today why New York Knicks boss Phil Jackson took him in the NBA Draft.

By Robby Sabo

OK Phil Jackson, your point has officially been made.

Although the majority of the basketball universe dumped on the selection of Kristaps Porzingis in the No. 4 spot of the 2015 NBA Draft, many now see what Jackson saw.

What Jackson saw was immense potential and a rare quickness attribute for a man who stands 7’3”.

Porzingis poured in 12-points in just 18-minutes of his first taste of NBA hoops. His New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs by the final of 78-73.

It wasn’t enough that this poor 19-year old Latvian kid had to endure the boos raining down upon him a few weeks back, but media heads and fans alike were dumping on his worthiness from the get-go – even before seeing him play one ounce of ball for New York.

Stephen A. Smith was one of these guys.

His narrative revolved around the words “Joke,” “Phil Jackson” and the “New York Knicks” all in the same sentence after Porzingis was drafted. He reported that Carmelo Anthony was upset with the decision and felt “hoodwinked.”

Those thoughts would work if Porzingis couldn’t play a lick during the 2015-16 season, but that already seems to be the furthest thing from the truth.

It’s amazing how one glimpse of a guy’s skill-set can change a desperately negative feel into supreme optimism.

Suddenly, it seems the few people that backed the smart moves Phil made the last month or so have a little more to back their argument up with.

Here’s a quick breakdown on what we saw today from the Knicks rookie:

Porzingis is Big:

It’s true that a 220 lbs. big-man in the NBA is quite soft, especially considering he’s over seven-feet tall.

However, one look at this guy today allows everybody to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that he can, indeed, bang a little down low.

Of course he’ll need to add some bulk to that lanky body, but the kid is already on par as a contributing big in the NBA. He will certainly be in the rotation (if not starting) come opening night.

Incredible Quickness and Skill for 7’3”:

If his light body is the negative for a man of his size, then the positive comes in the form of Porzingis displaying phenomenal quickness.

We witnessed Porzingis chuck the ball from five-feet beyond the arc (getting fouled); catch it the high post; catch it on the mid-wing; showcase a bundle of lightning-fast moves including a number of shimmies; and actually pass the ball backdoor on a dime.

He even put in a desperation half-runner when he had nowhere to go.

The point is easy: the man has skill.

Not a Butcher on Defense:

The surprising thing about Zinger’s debut today was that it revealed his ability to play a little defense.

Don’t think he’ll be taking home any NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards anytime soon, but also realize this isn’t the awful Amare Stoudemire either. He’s legit in the way he slides and moves his feet while guarding bigs extended or even wings 15-feet away from the hoop.

The one question (something I personally wanted to see today) that’s still at-large after today will be whether or not he’s strong enough to defend the low-post.

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.