Big pick: Knicks take Porzingis fourth in draft
The New York Knicks selected Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
The 19-year-old has a strong outside shot, but scouts wonder about his ability to adapt on the defensive end.
Knicks fans, who filled parts of Barclays Center in Brooklyn, wanted no part of Porzingis, booing loud and long after his name was called by commissioner Adam Silver.
The Knicks hope to use Porzingis and their approximate $27 million in cap space to rebuild after a disastrous 2014-15 season. The Knicks won just 17 games in Phil Jackson’s first full season as team president.
Porzingis averaged 10.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and one block in 33 games for Cajasol Seville in the Spanish league during the 2014-15 season.
He averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for Cajasol Seville in 16 Eurocup games.
This is the Knicks’ first top-five pick since 1986, when they selected Kenny Walker with the fifth pick.
Porzingis is the fourth international player chosen by the Knicks in the first round. Their last international first-round pick was Danilo Gallinari (No. 6) in 2008.
Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.
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