Despite an intra-state rivalry between the two teams, New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis has helped Brooklyn Nets rookie Dzanan Musa with his transition to the NBA.
The Bosnian scoring machine received an unexpected phone call after being drafted by the Nets with the 29th overall pick in the NBA Draft, which would get his career in the league underway.
“He encouraged me to just go for it,’’ Musa told Marc Berman of The New York Post on Sunday at the NBA’s rookie orientation.
Musa and Porzingis met through their two brothers, who played against each other in the EuroLeague.
The 19-year-old Musa is starting to mesh with his teammates, including Nets hopeful star D’Angelo Russell; who was drafted two spots ahead of Porzingis in the 2015 draft and has now taken the new Bosnian swingman under his wing.
Musa spent two full days at Russell’s house to start the bonding process.
“He’s a superstar and when a superstar calls you as a rookie to come to your house to talk to you and be his friend, that’s a really human, good thing about him,’’ Musa said. “He’s a really nice person, really good player. I look forward to playing with him.’’
The 6-foot-9 forward got his start in the Croatian basketball program at 11, already taking English and boasting a speaking level better than Porzingis — which only bodes well for his transition as a rookie in the league, already willing to play some G-League games to help him get acquainted with the pace of the game.
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