Knicks news: Kristaps Porzingis motivated by Phil Jackson's remarks on his game

Phil Jackson may have sealed his fate back when he was with the Knicks when he tried to put Kristaps Porzingis on the trading block.

Former New York Knicks president Phil Jackson might have thrown the final straw in the camel's back when he put up rising star Kristaps Porzingis on the market for a potential trade over the summer. The front office's phone was inundated with calls from every team around the league inquiring on a potential swap — a deed which ultimately cost him his job after a string of bad decisions throughout his tenure as an executive.

Porzingis has been committed to proving he can be the face of this team after the departure of star forward Carmelo Anthony, doing so at the tune of 30.2 points per game after registering a career-high 40 points against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Yet Jackson didn't think the young unicorn was ready to handle the monster that is playing for the Knicks, when asked if he was ready to take on that challenge at the end of last season.

“No, I don't [think he's ready]. He's 21 years old. That's a big load for anybody to take on,” Jackson said at the time, according to ESPN's Ian Begley. “But he's shown that he's competitive.”

Porzingis has shown a tremendous mettle through the first nine games of the season, putting New York over the .500 mark for the first time in 2017-18.

Kristaps Porzingis had previously skipped on his exit meeting with Phil Jackson at the end of last season, later citing his frustration with the state of the franchise and the way his former teammate Anthony was being treated.

Following a 40-point explosion against the Pacers, Porzingis admitted Jackson's remarks motivated him.

“Of course. The challenge is never too big for me,” said Porzingis. “I always accept the challenge and that's why I knew coming into this season [if] Melo was not going to be here, then I'm going to have to be that guy and that's why I was just [spending] 24 hours in the gym. I was preparing for this, preparing myself physically, and I'm just happy that I'm capable of playing at this level right now.”

Kristaps Porzingis was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and has shown a major improvement after every offseason. This one could be the best yet.