When New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis looked to move to Manhattan from Westchester following his rookie season, his options were far less limited than your average 20-year-old’s. He wound up choosing a luxuriously nondescript building on the West Side, one that—on the outside, at least—was similar to any number of luxury residential buildings in Manhattan. There were, however, two features that made it stand out. One, it’s an extremely short drive to Madison Square Garden. And two, there’s a full-size basketball court in the basement, a short elevator ride away from Porzingis’s apartment.

KP endured a rough sophomore campaign, as his Knicks stumbled through a 31-win season and he missed 16 games, including the season’s last five, with various ailments. But his minutes, scoring, and three-point percentage all ticked upward, and more often than not he played the way a fourth-overall pick is expected to play in their second season.

He still has some growing to do, of course, if not of the physical kind—the 7’3” Porzingis might not fit in his Benz otherwise. And safe to say the now 21-year-old will do exactly that. Because with basketball as his primary obsession and that court right downstairs, there are no obstacles in his way. All he has to heed are the warning signs from his own body, but even with an aching back he puts up shot after shot after shot. It’s mostly for the cameras, but as Jānis runs his brother through drills, it gets more and more real. And when Kristaps is instructed to take a swig of BodyArmor Sports Drink for the cameras, he drains it. Hard work is hard work.

Porzingis has partnered with BodyArmor Sports Drink since his rookie season, and they’re a match made in heaven. BodyArmor’s slogan, #ObsessionIsNatural, embodies the work ethic that Porzingis has had ever since he came into the league. In his first interview immediately after getting drafted by the New York Knicks, Porzingis said that it was his passion for the game that sets him apart.

We talked to Porzingis about his work ethic, his on- and off-court heroes, and how his pastime became his obsession.

[This interview has been edited and condensed.]