Kevin Durant has a high opinion of New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis.
And Unicorns.
Per the Washington Post‘s Tim Bontemps:
KD on KP: "He's a 7-footer who can shoot all the way out to the 3-point line … And he can blocks shots. That's a unicorn in this league."
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 25, 2016
Good lord is he out of his mi—oh, wait, I see the resemblance:
KD’s description of Kristaps is on the ?. pic.twitter.com/nYVpg9OS5B
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) January 25, 2016
In all seriousness, Durant has a point.
Porzingis still has a ways to go before he’s the most efficient player, but he’s already a strong defensive anchor and flashing superstar potential on the offensive end.
To wit: The only other rookies to average 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per 36 minutes, as Porzingis is now, are David Robinson, Chris Webber, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Hakeem Olajuwon and Alonzo Mourning, according to Basketball-Reference. Combined, those six drilled a total of one three during their inaugural campaigns. Entering the Knicks’ Tuesday night tilt with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Porzingis has splashed home 50.
So, yeah, a Unicorn is a fitting comparison.
This summer, when Durant hits free agency, we’ll find out whether the NBA’s 2013-14 MVP feels like playing with one.
