They are a fickle bunch, those New Yorkers.
Less than six months after relentlessly booing the selection of Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks fans are now celebrating the birth of a potential new superstar in the Big Apple.
The notoriously hard-to-please New Yorkers have had little to cheer in recent years, with a series of bad trades and dismal draft picks yielding just a single play-off series win this century in the weaker Eastern Conference.
So in some respects the selection of an unknown European prospect believed to be a couple of years away from becoming a major contributor – given the doom-laden label of ‘project’ – was never going to satisfy this impatient lot.
Given the recent record of failure of skinny, white, European scorers, it’s hard to blame Knicks fans, but since that moment at last summer’s draft, Porzingis has steadily set about proving them wrong.
The 7ft 3in rookie stood and took the booing, saying he understood the reaction and that he nonetheless couldn’t wait to start playing in New York, and then set about forcing a rapid about face from his new fanbase.
The 20-year-old scored 16 points in his first game against Milwaukee, and grabbed his first double-double three games later against the mighty San Antonio Spurs.
He exploded for 29 points and 11 rebounds in last week’s win over Charlotte, before nearly scoring a first career triple double with 24 points, 14 boards and seven blocks against Houston on Saturday night.
.@kporzee: youngest player to record 24 pts, 14 rebs & 7 blks in the last 30 years – beat @SHAQ's mark by 198 days! #HowBoutThemApples
— Pete Newmann (@petenewmann) November 22, 2015
His on-court success derives from his refusal to shun the more physical aspects of the game, something which many of his European predecessors were unable to do, and his offensive game is more refined and versatile that many expected.
In addition to draining the open three, the above clip contains examples of Porzingis creating his own shot off the dribble and a post game that contains an almost undefendable hook shot.
He also shows no fear of the big moment, hitting a game-winning three in an earlier Charlotte game that was ultimately waved off for just missing the clock.
The excitement in New York right now rivals the whirlwind that was Linsanity, when Asian-American point guard Jeremy Lin briefly took over the NBA in early 2012, only Knicks fans know this craze has staying power.
NBA says Porzingis jerseys have sold out, new stock will be in tomorrow.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 19, 2015
ESPN’s Zach Lowe called Porzingis “the most exciting sustainable thing to happen to basketball in New York since Patrick Ewing arrived there 30 years ago”.
At 8-7, the Knicks are already almost halfway to last year’s final win total of 17 and look likely to remain in contention for the play-offs throughout the season, but if and when Porzingis does grow through the almost inevitable bout of growing pains, he has at least built up enough credit to be given time to bounce back, which is a lot more than most could have hoped for.
