James Worthy: Kristaps Porzingis is a ‘Combination of Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant’

Despite getting lustily booed on Draft night, New York Knicks fans and players seem to have come around on rookie big man Kristaps Porzingis.

And now, the hype machine has shifted into overdrive.

The fourth overall pick had 12 points in his Summer League debut over the weekend, and was lavished with praise: Hall of Famer James Worthy considers Porzingis a “freak of nature”, and compared him to Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant.

Per the NY Post:

After his 12-points-in-18-minutes showing against the Spurs in his Knicks debut Saturday, Worthy said on the Lakers broadcast: “He’s a freak of nature. He’s a combination of Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant. It’s a good pick for the Knicks.”

 

Dallas owner Mark Cuban, perhaps noting Porzingis’ strong grasp of English, said, “Dirk didn’t have any time to develop. He didn’t know the language, people were expecting him to have an impact right away. He got drafted ahead of Paul Pierce. He had no time to develop. [But] as far as the Knicks, I don’t care.”

 

Knicks coach Derek Fisher talked about everything but Porzingis’ renowned 3-pointer. “He doesn’t look physically overpowering, but he plays a strong game,” Fisher said. “He’s not afraid to go in there and mix it up.”