Filmmaker tells Jimmy Fallon that Porzingis “is taking over” and “can play” with anyone.
Last summer’s fourth overall draft pick, Kristaps Porzingis, has been making some serious noise in his debut season with the New York Knicks. Through his first 12 games, the Latvian power forward has averaged 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game, while shooting .838 from the charity stripe.
That kind of production, particularly from a rookie who was booed when his named was called in Brooklyn, hasn’t gone unnoticed around the basketball world. Even many of the same Knicks fans who decried his selection must now begrudgingly admit that maybe Phil Jackson knew what he was doing after all with the Porzingis pick.
One prominent Knicks fan – perhaps the most prominent of all – seems to have staked his claim on the Kristaps bandwagon, and he’s not afraid to say so. In a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, acclaimed filmmaker and Knicks diehard Spike Lee spoke glowingly of the rookie from Europe.
“He’s taking over,” Lee said. “He’s 7’3″, he’s only 20, he’s going to put on some more pounds, and he can play. And you know what? He’s not scared of the brothers, either. He ain’t scared of the brothers. He’s playing. He gets right in there.”
And boy does he ever get right in there. Here’s one of the phenom’s signature put-back slams:
Kevin Love is one of the best players in the NBA, but he just gets posterized by the young Knick in this one.
Clearly, Spike Lee is on to something here. Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t seem to be afraid of anyone or anything, and perhaps his legend is only just beginning. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, we can all sit back, watch our television sets, and perhaps even dial the number on the screen to get our very own slice of the magical Porzingis pie: