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How good is Kristaps Porzinzgis?
Well, they say the sky is the limit with him. Seriously though, there is no real limit with this guy. There is a reason why he is called a unicorn. At 7’3, he can block shots, defend the paint, run, score in the post, knock down jumpers, AND he has 3 point range. It’s really incredible in terms of his full body of work. His only weakness may be that he can still be pushed around a bit. Also, the presence of Carmelo Anthony may actually slightly slow down Kris’ offensive growth.
Full Highlights of Kristaps Porzingis: Blocks, Dunks, and 3 Pointers:
When people ask how good can this kid be, no one is quite sure what to say. Most NBA pundits are afraid to say he will be a hall of famer, as they don’t know if he can stay healthy (there aren’t too many 7 foot 3 guys who are bastions of health), and wonder if he can become a more fluid player within an offense. HOWEVER, if you were to stop his career right now, you would see a guy averaging 20 and 8 with a continuous highlight reel of blocks, dunks, 3 pointers, and impressive post moves.
I do get the feeling that most NBA players are not afraid of him (there is a stereotype against thin Europeans), but that will change. This is because Porzy will undoubtedly posterize a number of these players, and eventually will become a full on All Star. Check out some of his awesome highlights below:
How old is Kristaps Porzingis?
When he was drafted, he was just 19 years old! And what’s crazy is that even at that age he was already putting in decent numbers, with 14 and 7 in his rookie year. His sophomore year is better, and he is putting in 16 and 7.5. He was born on August 2, 1995, making him 21 years old. In comparison, fellow rookie Karl-Anthony Towns was born November 15, 1995.
How tall is Kristaps Porzingis?
He is listed as 7’3, though some in the NBA have said he looks even taller, though this is likely due to his thin frame. To be fair, he has gained significant muscle in the last 6 months, and may even be a factor for his recent Achilles injury. He is 221 centimeters.
Where is Kristaps Porzingis from?
He was born in Liepāja, Latvia. He played in the younger age bracket with BK Liepājas Lauvas team, which was the most popular team in Liepāja. He played with them until he was 15 years old. He then moved to Sevilla, Spain, which is where he rose to prominence. He eventually moved to New York after the Knicks drafted him in the 2014 NBA Draft. His Latvian origin provoked the nickname “The Lativian Gangbanger”, popularized by crazy actor Michael Rapaport on more than one Bill Simmons’ podcast.
Projected Career Statistics for Kristaps Porzingis:
We have yet to see the best stats yet from Porzy, but here are his rookie season numbers, followed by his career projections:
|
Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | New York |
72 |
72 |
28.4 |
.421 |
.333 |
.838 |
7.3 |
1.3 |
.7 |
1.9 |
14.3 |
| Projected Career Stats | New York |
1100 |
1100 |
31.8 |
46.2 |
37.0 |
.800 |
8.0 |
2.9 |
1.0 |
2.1 |
23.5 |
The reason his projected stats: His minutes will obviously go up, but he’s already suffering from a few minor injuries, leading management to call on coaches to limit him to around 30-33 minutes per game. His field goal percentage will obviously rise, as he simply acclimates to NBA offenses, and gets more touches in the paint. Rebounds will go up as well, especially once Jo Noah retires (because he has become a fossil), and Porzy plays 85% of his minutes at Center. Assists will go up as well, as most big men get smarter and understand the flow of an offense as they get older (think Rik Smits). Blocks will go up due to his increased minutes at Center. Points will obviously go up as well as he becomes a number #1 option, especially after Carmelo “flawed superstar” Anthony moves along or willingly takes a backseat (but won’t be able to because his ego is bigger than his shoe size). At his peak I will guess that Porzy will pour in 25 ppg in another season or 2.
Porzingis Contract Situation
Check out this breakdown from Sportrac.com on the contract that Porzy signed with the Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis signed a 2 year / $12,953,040 contract with the Knicks, with$12,953,040 guaranteed, and an annual avg salary of $6,476,520. In 2016-17, Porzingis will earn a base salary of $4,317,720.
Let’s just say that this contract (as are most rookie deals with great players) is a STEAL! If he was on the open market he would command about $35 million a season. The crazy thing is he was drafted after Jhalil Okafor! Jesus Christ what a screwup by the Sixers. Anyways, Porzy is literally untradeable, unless Durant is mentioned.
How was Adidas able to sign Porzingis to a shoe deal?
This was certainly one of the strangest shoe deals in history. Not for the money involved but rather for Nike walking away. Basically, Kris was signed with Nike, and then Adidas came down with their own shoe offer, reportedly for somewhere between 3 and 6 million dollars. Nike had the opportunity to match it, but declined to do so according to ESPN. Why? Well, we can only speculate. But the reason is probably because Nike brass didn’t think that Porznigis fits the mold of the high flying, sweet shooting, dunking NBA player who sells shoes and jerseys. Also, big men don’t sell as many shoes as guards and swingmen. The problem is, Porzingis sold the 4th most jerseys in his rookie year.
I think the reason for passing on him goes beyond the mold of player he is – it is also because he is a foreigner. Foreign players are less likely to sell shoes like homegrown stars such as Kyrie Irving (technically from Australia), and Derrick Rose (his career has fallen apart). I suppose the lesson here is that Nike lavished hundreds of millions of particular players but seemed hesitant to go the distance with Porznigis, and it was probably a mistake.
Who is Kristaps Porzingis Dating?
This is a question which we won’t get the answer to for a while, primarily because he ain’t dating anyone! GQ basically asked him this very question, and he responded with this quote:
“No! I mean you always gotta find a little bit of time for the girls, right? But there’s nothing serious really. Nothing too serious…I haven’t been that social yet, and I have been mostly focusing on basketball, but when I have a little more time I might to have to meet some new people.”
Although funnily enough, Kristaps did make it clear that he gets girls, and implied that he’s had his share of one night stands: “Yeah, when I feel like it, I have a place in the city that I can escape to.
The best we can do is follow Kristaps on Instagram so that if he posts pics of a woman, we’ll know right away! What a sad life we live.
The rest of this article is to be continued…
We originally aired a podcast episode all about Porzingis on November 27th, 2015:
Kristaps Porzingis is all the rage in New York, putting up 13 points and 9 rebounds per game. In this episode, I talk about the media reaction when the Knicks drafted him, whether he would go higher if the draft was redone today, why he could be better than Dirk Nowitzki, how he differs from Linsanity, and how the he fits on the Knicks roster. Make sure to check out our coverage of the NBA Finals – it’s going to be big!
