I'm actually enjoying attention. Who wouldn't?
I was never the big leaper, the dunker, the long and athletic kid who looked the part of a traditional basketball star. Truth be told, I wasn't even considered a top guard coming out of my recruiting class.
My hair is different than a lot of people's. I like my hair. I like the fade. I like the little design I have. I'm cool with it. Obviously my hair is thin on top, so it looks like a bald spot, but I really could care less.
Not a lot of people take advantage of that opportunity of being different. A lot of kids that are highly touted coming out of high school, like, doing the traditional thing and going to the blue bloods and all that, but I was always different growing up.
The history behind the Garden and all the players that have come through and played on that court in the Garden, I think that the history is the reason why it still is, in my mind, the mecca of basketball. It definitely draws me in. That's the thing about New York; that's a big thing about the history, and the Garden is a big part of that.
I'm light-skinned. I'm mixed with black and white.
I remember me being that kid growing up. Me being the kid that grew up going to games and being a ball boy and wanting a high five from Blake Griffin or the other players.
When you're around somebody all the time, you butt heads every now and then. That's what happens in every family.
There's gonna be stretches where I don't play as well. People are gonna be talking bad about me and not always on my side and cheering me on.
I'll always have a chip on my shoulder until I hang my shoes up. No matter how long I play this game, the chip on my shoulder will always be there. That won't change.
Who wouldn't want to be compared to a guy like Steph Curry?
One of my dreams was being called a 'Diaper Dandy' by Dick Vitale. He calls me that all the time now. It's surreal.
I bring a lot to a team. I bring immediate impact. As far as my skillset, I can attack defenders in multiple ways and get my teammates involved.
It's a mystery coming out each and every game to try and figure out how a team is going to guard me and how I'm going to dictate how my team wins.
I think my ability coming into the NBA is going to make it that much easier for me with the space and the different type of players here. I think just by the spacing alone is going to make my game that much easier and that much better for my teammates.
That's what my mindset is, making the right play and doing the right thing each and every possession.
If I'm able to get drafted by the New York Knicks, it would be a blessing.
I'm glad people get excited watching me play. Hopefully I show them something new each time I step on the court.
My goal is to the best player in the NBA. That's what I'm focusing on each and every day.
Rod Strickland has been influential. He gives me a lot of advice, good and bad games; he is someone I really look up to a lot.
