New York Knicks‘ Kristaps Porzingis talked about how he studied New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis while playing in Spain.
One of the biggest criticisms of Kristaps Porzingis after the New York Knicks drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft was that he wasn’t NBA-ready.
One reason Porzingis’ development was so much quicker than anticipated was his willingness to learn, apparently even before he arrived in New York.
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According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, one of the players that Porzingis studied while playing in Spains was Friday’s opponent, Anthony Davis.
“Before I got to the NBA, I was watching him a lot — skinny guy coming out of college, how he was able to adjust to the NBA, at this level,’’ Porzingis said. “Obviously, I learned from him — even seeing defensively, able to hold guys in the post. His skill set is his, pretty all-around. He can do everything, but it was more seeing how he can adjust with his physicality.’’
Porzingis hailed Davis as a likely candidate for the elusive quadruple-double that the sophomore star is hoping to one day achieve.
“He’s definitely one of the guys who can do that — blocks, assists, rebounds,’’ Porzingis said after the Knicks morning shootaround Friday. “He might have the best chance of doing that in the league, actually. That will be pretty amazing for anybody to achieve.’’
KP talked about Davis’ unique skill set on defense.
“Great shotblocker,’’ Porzingis said. “He’s there and doesn’t seem he’ll get to your shot. His arms are so long, he can actually get to your shot. That’s the one thing we got to be careful about. He’s got quick feet for his size, can guard anyone basically. I was surprised [he blocked me].’’
Friday’s matchup between the two stars is in New Orleans at 8:00 p.m. ET on the MSG Network.