There is a saying, you must give credit when credit is due. Apparently, this is what Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki did after a matchup against the New York Knicks. Knick rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis matched up with the NBA great for the first time Monday night. The Mavericks came out on top in Madison Square Garden, improving to 13-9 with the score of 104-97. Porzingis finished with 28 points and two rebounds, while Nowitzki tallied 25 points and six rebounds. Before the game, the Latvian phenom gave Dirk such high praise, calling the German bred superstar “one of the best of all time”. After the game, Nowitzki returned the favor and spoke highly about Porzingis. Nowitzki had this to say about Kristaps’s performance and work ethic so far.
It’s more than fair. He’s probably way ahead of the curve. When I was 20, I was scared to death out there. … He’s almost averaging a double-double, so he’s way better than I was at 20. So the comparison’s probably unfair to me. The sky’s the limit for this kid, not only because he’s good but also because I heard he lives and breathes basketball. He stays in the gym, he works hard and doesn’t let all this hype here get to his head. You’ve to root for him.
Nowitzki has a valid point if you compared staistics between the two NBA ballers during their rookie seasons. When Dirk was a 20-year-old rookie, he averaged 8 points and 3 rebounds. Porzingis who is becoming a Knick favorite is currently averaging 15 points and 9 rebounds a night. Not bad for a kid who was booed on draft night.
Somebody to learn from.. @swish41 ?? Photo cred: @GeminiKeez pic.twitter.com/EU07icvcr1
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) December 8, 2015
