It is well known that Knicks fans, in their galling hubris, booed Kristaps Porzingis when he got drafted. Or, if they weren’t booing, they were crying. Did Nets fans do similarly for Rodions Kurucs when he got drafted? I would guess not, because he was the 40th pick, not the 4th, and because the Nets fanbase is a way chiller fanbase than the Knicks one. I just checked out the footage, and I was right: no boos for Kurucs, although the cheers he did get sounded a little sarcastic perhaps.
I’m going to be honest with you, it’s been so long since Porzingis played that I don’t remember what he looks like. I know that he existed, that part I definitely remember, and I sort of remember how his game looked, but when I try to bring his face into my mind’s eye, I just can’t do it. There’s nothing there. Half the time, when I try, my mental database provides me with a picture of Kurucs. That is what scientists call a “harbinger”. An “omen”.
I think we can forget about the Porzingis comparisons for Kurucs now. 24 points so soon for such a raw prospect? His upward trajectory is way steeper than Porzingis’ ever was. We need a new comparison, preferably one that isn’t from the same country so that we don’t seem so lazy. Supposedly he modeled his game after Kevin Durant, so why not him? Kurucs is officially the white Durant.
Just watch this video. Do you not see a pink-skinned version of Durant out there balling for the Nets?