Kristaps Porzingis on Knicks' debut: 'Hopefully those booing fans are now cheering for me'

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All Kristaps Porzingis wants is a chance to make a good impression.

The New York Knicks suffered through yet another humiliating campaign in 2014-15. The only consolation in an otherwise disastrous 17-65 season was their lottery pick, which they used on Porzingis. But given the somewhat spotty track record of European imports, many fans were dissatisfied with the selection of a skinny 19-year-old prospect from Latvia.

Porzingis was greeted with a shower of boos before he could even shake the commissioner's hand.

To his credit, Porzingis didn't take his sour reception to heart. He showed great maturity for a teenager and played it off, while Knicks star Carmelo Anthony rushed to his rookie's defense.

Three weeks later, Porzingis finally got his first chance to leave an impression on the Knicks' faithful. Porzingis squared off against the San Antonio Spurs and finished with 12 points in 17 minutes.

Porzingis looked awkward at times, as any 19-year-old would. It became readily apparent that he lacked the requisite strength to bang bodies in the post. But the jumper was pure and he showed flashes of great potential.

After the game, Porzingis gave a nod to his detractors.