Whenever a new player emerges and he’s extremely talented, people try to find an old great to compare him to.  Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis has garnered comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki.  Porzingis revealed that Nowitzki was one of his idols and growing up in Latvia, he studied Nowitzki’s game tapes.  When the two met for the Knicks vs. Mavericks game on Monday night, Nowitzki revealed that Porzingis is light years ahead of where he was at 20 years old.

The Mavericks beat the Knicks 104-97 but everyone including Nowitzki noticed just how special Porzingis is to the team.  Porzingis finished with a game-high 28 points including 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks cut a 23-point deficit.

“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,” said Nowitzki.

“He’s for real,” said Nowitzki.  “He’s the complete package.”

“Obviously, he’s showing some respect to me. That shows me that maybe I have the potential to one day be as great as he is,” Porzingis said. “I’ve got to keep working, and hopefully, I can be as good as he thinks I can be.”

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quotes via ESPN