Kristaps Porzingis wants to be like Mike.
And not just Michael Jordan, but Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and all the other superstars who through choice, opportunity, skill, or popularity were dubbed the “face of the franchise.”
And Porzingis will see one Monday when James and the surprising sub-.500 Cavaliers invade the Garden. So Porzingis can do some scrutinizing up close. He’s watched how stars conduct themselves.
“Oh yeah, of course,” Porzingis said Sunday after practice in Tarrytown. “There are a lot of things. Obviously off-the-court stuff, not just LeBron, but more and more [guys]. Kobe, Jordan, I watched a lot of their interviews and learned how they talked to people and how they do things off the court. But [James] also. There are a lot of things you can learn from guys like that.”
Such as?
“Just for example, how to talk to the media. That’s an important part of our job,” said Porzingis, warming the hearts of the handful of ink-stained and digitally shocked wretches gathered around him. “Especially Kobe and Jordan. I watched a lot of their interviews and their story telling. That’s very interesting how they do that. That’s a great skill that they have also. Those kind of things I want to get better at.”
Simple. Just start every yarn with, “It was a night made for murder …”
Hey, it beats, “Call me Kristaps.”
But beyond talking to the press, Porzingis knows the power that can be wielded by a guy who stands 7-foot-3, is adored in every corner of the city — and is averaging 30.4 points. You can talk behind closed doors regarding personnel and such. That’s what franchise faces get to do.
“To have influence, you don’t need to go out and speak to the media to do something inside the organization,” Porzingis said. “You want to change something, that’s got to stay inside. More and more maybe outside stuff you can make an impact, on the children that are watching you and things like that.”
But even with a skipped exit interview in his past, Porzingis stressed his main focus is what he does on the court. Jordan and James and Bryant did not become All-Stars and Hall of Fame-caliber players for their boardroom work.
“I really focus on basketball. I haven’t really thought that as much. That will come,” Porzingis said. “If you play good, all those things will come and you have the power to do things better for your organization, for your people, for the league and for your team, so I haven’t really thought about that as much.”