Getty Kristaps Porzingis at Maverick Media Day
Last month, New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett participated in an ‘ask me anything’ on Bleacher Report AMA. When asked who he would like to dunk on, Barrett replied: “I know who I really want to say, but I’m not gonna. Let’s go with [Kristaps] Porzingis.”
On Friday, after Dallas Mavericks’ practice, Porzingis spoke to the media for the first time since media day. During the scrum, Porzingis was asked how motivating it is to have someone like Barrett want to dunk on him.
“I’m one of the best shot blockers in the league, and I look forward to the challenge,” Porzingis said.
On the September 17 episode of ESPN’s The Jump, Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen suggested that Barrett aims for a more prolific player.
“Porzingis doesn’t really have a resume as being a shot-blocker or anything like that. Plus, he’s a little injured right now. He may not even play next season. I’d like to see him go after someone like [Rudy] Gobert or Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. Go after the MVP or the Defensive Player of the Year.” Pippen stated.
Last Season, Porzingis was traded at the deadline to the Mavericks along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Trey Burke. In exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., Wes Matthews, DeAndre Jordan, and likely first-round draft pick compensation to New York, Per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Barrett deciding to single out the former Knick appears to be intended to resonate with Knicks fans who may not have liked how Porzingis departed from the franchise. The former Duke Blue Devil can play both the point and shooting guard positions. While Barrett may want to dunk on Porzingis, the rookie will likely attempt to throw down on anyone that he meets in the paint. This Includes the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert or the MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, as Pippen suggested. Barrett will be one of the rookies to look out for this season.
Last season as a freshman at Duke, Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists under Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski].
As for Porzingis, he is healthy for the first time in almost 19 months after rehabbing an ACL injury that suffered on February 6, 2018, against the Milwaukee Bucks. He will be looking to get back to All-Star form this season as a member of the Mavericks. Porzingis makes his highly anticipated return to New York City on November 14.
READ NEXT: Luka Doncic ‘Excited’ to Play With Kristaps Porzingis