Porzingis: "The national team environment was an amazing experience for me"
NEW YORK - Kristaps Porzingis was already a star when he arrived in Turkey to play at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 with Latvia this past summer but the New York Knicks star says the experience helped him take his game, and expectations, to a different level.
.@kporzee exclusive: "Latvian National Team helped me to come back in the States and get the @nyknicks in the NBA playoffs": https://t.co/HXgjyTSd2B pic.twitter.com/fYLTOzvSmw
— NBA Hellas (@nbahellas) November 18, 2017
Porzingis, a human highlight reel throughout the EuroBasket, averaged 23.6 points per contest for the Baltic side as they marched into the Quarter-Finals with five wins and just one defeat before falling in one of the most dramatic games ever to eventual champions Slovenia, 103-97.
In every outing, Porzingis made jaw-dropping plays, including in the clash with Slovenia.
"Being in the national team environment was an amazing experience for me," Porzingis said to NBA.sport24.gr. "My coaches taught me a lot and I came back to the NBA thinking that I need to win in order to get to the playoffs."
Since returning to the Big Apple and playing in the NBA, Porzingis has been sensational, averaging 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in leading the Knicks to 8 wins in their 15 games.
FIBA
