Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t care what LeBron James thinks about the Knicks’ draft

Kristaps Porzingis is the face of the Knicks now, and he’s defending his teammates like it. After the Cavaliers faced the Mavericks on Saturday night, LeBron James told reporters that he believes Dennis Smith, Jr. should be a Knick.

That quote from James came out of nowhere. Maybe he’s being sincere in complimenting Smith by calling him a diamond in the rough. Maybe he’s still taking shots at Phil Jackson. Who knows?

One thing is for sure, though — Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t care. When asked about James’ comments, Porzingis said he’s happy with the way the Frank Ntilikina, drafted ahead of Smith, has performed this season.

Porzingis told Adam Zagoria of SNY that Ntilikina is doing a ‘great job’ in New York and the team loves him for it.

“I don’t know why he made those comments. But all I can say is we love Frank and we’re happy with him,” Porzingis said in defense of the Knicks’ rookie. “He’s playing great, and he’s doing what he’s supposed to. And I would not change Frank for anybody. Simple.”

That’s a ringing endorsement from the best player on the Knicks roster, but it wasn’t just Porzingis. Enes Kanter chimed in on Twitter.

Head coach Jeff Hornacek also added his two cents but took a more balanced approach saying that both players are ‘good’ for their teams. However, he said, James’ comments will likely serve as a bit of extra motivation for Ntilikina.

”We have Frank and Frank has done a great job for us, his abilities, the way he’s grown from day one and the things that he’s worked on, we expect him to be a great player also,” Hornacek said.

After starting the season late, Ntilikina has found his stride with the Knicks and has established himself as the team’s best point guard and a two-way presence. He isn’t a great scorer at this point and isn’t the team’s top playmaker, but he does exactly what they need between his passing and defending.

Ntilikina has been a positive presence for the Knicks. When he’s off the court, the Knicks are a -3.8 per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com’s stats tool. When he’s playing, the Knicks are a +6.2.

Ntilikina plays his role as well as anyone. The Knicks are 7-3 with their rookie in the lineup and are off to a better start this season than both the Cavaliers and the Mavericks. So right now, they’re just fine with who they have.