4. Old-School Mentality
Perhaps the biggest surprise of Kristaps Porzingis comes when discussing his old-school attitude.
Over the course of the last three decades, the international player has been dubbed the fair (or unfair) tag as “soft.” They sure do know how to play a fundamentally sound brand of ball, when coming into the greatest league on Earth, but they’ve often been bullied down low.
At 220 lbs., nobody thought any differently of Porzingis.
The one key for the kid coming into the NBA was actually put weight on. He needed to. In order to bang down low with the monsters this league possesses on the low block, KP had no other choice.
While he did add a reported 11 lbs. during the summer, his play in this regard spoke for itself ever since he laced them up in the Summer League. Not only did he bang down low with the big guys, he held his own.
Sprinkle on an old-school mentality – ultra competitiveness and a sheer will to win – and the Knicks have one terrific cornerstone player to build around for years to come.
