Kristaps Porzingis has been better than expected in his rookie season with the New York Knicks, and his jersey sales reflect that.
Porzingis, who has the luxury of playing in the largest market in the country, checked in at No. 4 in jersey sales from October 2015 through December 2015. The only players ahead of the 20-year-old in jersey sales during that span were Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, according to figures the NBA released on Wednesday.
Not bad for a skinny guy who was not expected to make a significant impact for at least a couple of seasons.
Porzingis’ impressive play is one of the main reasons the Knicks have already surpassed last season’s win total of 17 games at just the halfway point. The rookie is averaging an even 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Some of the notable players Porzingis is outselling include his teammate Carmelo Anthony (No. 15), Kevin Durant (No. 5) and Derrick Rose (No. 6). Porzingis is the first rookie to debut in the top-five in jersey sales since LeBron was No. 1 and Carmelo Anthony was No. 3 back in 2003. When you look at some of the skepticism even Phil Jackson was showing about his own No. 4 overall pick back in the summer, you get an idea of how quickly Porzingis has developed.
We knew Porzingis jerseys were selling well when we heard this piece of news back in November. That doesn’t make his quick emergence any less impressive.
