Kristaps Porzingis is killing teams with his putback slams
Kristaps Porzingis was always going to be a polarizing player after the New York Knicks selected him with the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Playing for the Knicks as a relatively unknown international player made it fate that Porzingis would create some buzz during his rookie season. With the way he’s been throwing down putback dunks, he might’ve been polarizing whether he was on the Knicks or not.
Porzingis has been seemingly dominating opponents at least once a game by throwing down huge putback jams. Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks was no exception. Langston Galloway missed a three from the right wing and Porzingis was left untouched on the rebound. He skied to grab the board and even took the time to cock it back a bit before slamming it home:
That dunk from the rookie really got the Madison Square Garden crowd worked into a frenzy as the Knicks were looking to make a comeback against the visiting Bucks. Moreover, that was his second putback dunk in the span of just a couple of minutes, though this was far more impressive than the first.
Despite the doubts that many people—myself included—had when the Knicks drafted him, Porzingis looks like he could be a legitimate threat at the NBA level. With the aggressiveness and awareness that he plays with in addition to his physical gifts, the rookie is making an impact right out of the gate in New York and things should only get better from here.