Kevin Garnett Gave Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis Advice
Despite not having played a single regular season game, Kristaps Porzingis is already one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. The mere mention of his name strikes a range of emotions, ranging from intrigue and excitement to anger and disappointment.
New York Knicks fans made as much clear when they booed his selection at the 2015 NBA Draft.
It’s always good to have the local fanbase behind you.
Porzingis’ uphill battle to NBA stardom—or, perhaps, baseless redemption—will consist of overcoming predetermined notions about his game. Despite having a limited sample size—YouTube highlight videos only show so much—fans have already begun to pick him apart.
Per Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, Porzingis received advice on how to handle the pressure from an unlikely person: the legendary Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"I would say 99 percent of the fans in Vegas have been positive. Fans are really nice when I see them, but then on social media it’s a little worse. I don’t read everything, but there are still fans who are like, “You’re going to be a bust.” Actually Kevin Garnett gave me advice about that this week. He came up to me after one of our practices when the Timberwolves were walking in.He knew me a little bit from my interviews. He said, “Take that negative and turn it into energy.” He was telling me, “Just don’t listen to the outside and work as hard as you can.” I really love KG, and it was great having him tell me that advice."
Porzingis has been compared to Garnett, which makes this even more intriguing a conversation to study.
Porzingis, a 7’3″ power forward, is a lethal mid-range jump shooter who can block shots, rebound and handle the ball with reasonable effectiveness. That description is relatively similar to that of a young Garnett.
Thus, the upside comparison.
During Summer League play, Porzingis showed quite a bit of why he’s so intriguing.
It’d take a Herculean effort for Porzingis to become the same caliber of player as Garnett, but the tools are there and the upside comparison is intriguing enough to write about. It also adds up to why Porzingis, “Loves,” KG.
If they can form something of a mentorship, the Knicks would be better because of it.
Beyond the stylistic similarities, Garnett, like Porzingis today, is no stranger to the spotlight. He’s experienced both ends of NBA superstardom, serving as everything from a fan favorite to public enemy No. 1.
If anyone can offer Porzingis advice on how to handle himself in the latter situation, it’s KG. He’s overcome his fair share of outside negativity to become a former league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and NBA champion.
By all means and measures, Garnett is one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. If Porzingis can become a fraction of the player that a prime Garnett was, the Knicks will have drafted very successfully.
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