Kristaps Porzingis was once supposed to be the Knicks’ solution.
Drafted No. 4 overall by the Knicks in 2015, the 7-3 center from Latvia quickly demonstrated rare skills that allowed fans to dream.
He could shoot.
He could score.
He blocked shots with ease.
And he entered the NBA at just 19 years old.
It wasn’t difficult to envision Porzingis, with the requisite development and the right roster around him, becoming the centerpiece of deep Knicks playoff runs.
But now Porzingis is standing in their way.
Now in his second season with the Boston Celtics, Porzingis is facing the Knicks in a playoff series for the first time.
The second-round series won’t make its way to New York until Saturday, when Madison Square Garden hosts Game 3, but Porzingis’ return is one of the biggest storylines in a matchup full of them.
“My first couple games were pretty crazy there, getting booed and stuff,” Porzingis said ahead of Game 1 at TD Garden in Boston. “But I think now the time has passed, and it’s not as recent anymore. I’ve changed a couple of teams already.”
The Knicks were fresh off of a 17-65 season when they drafted Porzingis, whose slim frame and need for development made him a risky selection.
Knicks fans famously booed the pick at that draft at Barclays Center, and rumors swirled that Carmelo Anthony, then the face of the franchise, was unhappy with the choice. But then-Knicks president Phil Jackson hailed Porzingis as a “once-in-a-lifetime” prospect.
It didn’t take long for Porzingis to endear himself to Knicks fans.
The Knicks got off to a 22-22 start during Porzingis’ rookie season. Kevin Durant described the uniquely talented Porzingis as a “unicorn.”
While the Knicks faltered from there and missed the playoffs, Porzingis averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game and finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting, behind only Karl-Anthony Towns, then of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Porzingis’ production only improved in the subsequent seasons. He averaged 18.1 points per game in 2016-17 and 22.7 points per game as a first-time All-Star in 2017-18.
But the Knicks continued to miss the playoffs amid a lack of stability.
Jackson and the Knicks parted ways after Porzingis’ sophomore year, with Steve Mills replacing him. Porzingis had three different head coaches — Derek Fisher, Kurt Rambis and Jeff Hornacek — in his first three seasons.
Porzingis’ third season ended abruptly when he suffered a left ACL tear in February 2018.
That offseason, the Knicks declined to sign Porzingis to a rookie extension, promising them an additional $10 million in cap space ahead of a loaded free agency the next summer.
When his fourth season began — with another new head coach in Dave Fizdale — Porzingis was still rehabbing from the knee injury.
Before he returned to the court, the Knicks sent Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks in a February 2019 trade for a return that included Dennis Smith Jr. and two first-round picks.
“We could see that he wasn’t completely buying into what we were trying to do,” Mills said after the trade, adding, “He made it clear to us when he came in to meet with us that he no longer wanted to be part of our group.”
Porzingis averaged 17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game over 186 appearances with the Knicks.
He spent parts of three seasons with the Mavericks and parts of two with the Washington Wizards before the Celtics acquired Porzingis from Washington in a three-team trade. Boston sent point guard Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies in that deal.
Porzingis proved to be a missing piece, helping the Celtics last summer win their first championship in 16 years.
This season, he averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Porzingis appeared in only two of the Celtics’ four games against the Knicks — a regular-season series that Boston swept, 4-0 — but he erupted for 34 points and shot 8-of-13 on 3-point attempts in an overtime win at the Garden last month.
“I love playing there, honestly,” Porzingis said over the weekend. “A lot of even just people that come to the games, I remember them from my first few years in the league. I have a relationship with them and say hi to them before the game and talk some stuff throughout the game. It’s always fun to go up against them.”
Porzingis has averaged 21.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 15 regular-season meetings with the Knicks.
He overlapped with Knicks center Mitchell Robinson during the latter’s rookie season in New York, though the pair never played together due to Porzingis’ recovery from knee surgery. He also played with Jalen Brunson in Dallas.
And while the third-seeded Knicks seek their first championship since 1973 and their first trip beyond the second round since 2000, Porzingis believes the second-seeded Celtics face more pressure.
“We’re going to be the favorites in betting odds, right?” Porzingis said. “If anything, it’s us who have more to lose because we’re supposed to win.”
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