Duke freshman Zion Williamson made Knicks fans salivate at the prospect of having Madison Square Garden be his future home arena during his electric Garden debut Thursday night against Texas Tech.
His comments following the 69-58 win likely didn't disappoint the Knicks and their fan base, either.
"If they draft me, I would love to play for the Knicks," said Williamson, who is expected to be the top pick in June's NBA Draft. "I don't really care where I go, just the experience of being in the NBA. Whoever wants me and whoever sees the most in me, that's where I want to be."
Zion Williamson on Knicks: I think this is RJ's team. RJ, u wanna play for the Knicks? If they draft me, I'd love to play for the Knicks. I don't really care where I go. Just the experience of being in the NBA whoever wants me & whoever sees the most in me that's where I wanna be pic.twitter.com/HHYlKLlKK1
- Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) December 21, 2018
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Williamson continued his highlight tour by wowing the MSG sellout crowd -- including Knicks president Steve Mills, assistant GM Allan Houston, Kevin Knox and Emmanuel Mudiay -- with monster dunks and blocks. He fouled out in the second half but ultimately led the team with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Williamson, 18, said playing for Duke and having a massive social media presence would prepare him for a high-pressure environment like New York.
"Oh definitely," he said. "Growing up, my mom and my stepdad always taught me, if you really want to do this and not just basketball, you really gotta be able to handle the mental aspect of this. Sometimes it's going to be good, it's going to be bad sometimes. But the social media following and coming to Duke, it's just like a do-over. It's great for me."
Regardless of the size of his Instagram following, the Knicks must have liked what they saw Thursday night.