By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
Kristaps Porzingis has a new teammate in New York. The Knicks drafted Kevin Knox from the University of Kentucky with the ninth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The fans, however, did not accept the choice made by the Knicks‘ front office and started booing their new player.
A similar story occurred in 2015 when Kristaps Porzingis was picked at number four by New York’s team and the fans, as well as some journalists, were furious with this choice. As it turned out in ‘KP’s’ situation, things turned out great, and the 19-year old at the time used the ‘boos’ as motivation.
After the 2018 NBA Draft, Knox revealed that the Latvian superstar contacted him and gave him some advice. As he told Ian Begley of ESPN, Porzingis told him to use the complaints as motivation, and eventually, the boos will change into cheers:
“He asked me how the fans reacted and I told him I got the same amount of boos as you got. He just laughed, and he said, ‘It’s all motivation and fuel to the fire. Just work. Sooner or later they’ll be cheering for you.”
Once he returns from his ACL injury, Kristaps Porzingis may find Kevin Knox in the starting line-up of the team, as head coach David Fizdale has already said that it is quite possible that the 18-year old small forward will start for the Knicks.
Either way, Porzingis, and Knox seem to have already bonded.