New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis Made History Against Detroit

New York Knicks phenom Kristaps Porzingis didn’t just set a career-high with 35 points against the Detroit Pistons—he made history.

Wednesday, November 16 was the official arrival of Kristaps Porzingis as a star-caliber player. He’d been flirting with the label for quite some time, but outside of New York, he’d been underrated due to the overvalued nature of season averages.

Not only did Porzingis go off against the Detroit Pistons, but he made history for the New York Knicks.

Porzingis finished with a career-high 35 points, seven rebounds, four offensive boards, three assists, one block, and a steal. He shot 13-of-22 from the field, went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and converted at a rate of 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Porzingis became the youngest Knicks player to score at least 35 points since Carl Braun in 1947.

Kristaps Porzingis: career-high 35 points vs Pistons

Most pts by @nyknicks player age 21 or younger since Carl Braun in 1947 (@EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/o3b752oylz

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 17, 2016

Nearly 70 years later, Porzingis has earned a place alongside one of the greatest players in franchise history.

For those unfamiliar, Braun played for the Knicks from 1947 to 1950 and 1952 to 1961. He was a five-time All-Star who spent the 1950-51 and 1951-52 seasons serving in the military.

A war veteran and a dynamic scorer, Braun is No. 5 in franchise history with 10,449 points scored in a Knicks jersey.

As for Porzingis, he continues to make history early in his Knicks career. A season ago, he became the first rookie in NBA history to record at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 75 3-point field goals made.

As it pertains to New York, Porzingis averaged the most points, rebounds, and blocks by a Knicks rookie since Patrick Ewing in 1985-86.

Through 11 games in 2016-17, Porzingis is averaging 20.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 2.2 3-point field goals made in 32.2 minutes per game. He’s done so on an efficient slash line of .497/.400/.792.

Porzingis has scored at least 20 points in six of the Knicks’ past seven games—a stretch during which New York has gone 4-3.

Once again, Porzingis has given Knicks fans reason to believe in the future of the organization.