Thanasis Antetokounmpo was working on his game in a gym in Greece over the summer when he saw two missed calls on his phone from an unfamiliar number. When he returned the call, Antetokounmpo recognized the voice almost immediately.

"It was Phil," Antetokounmpo said.

The Knicks president had called to state his case. New York didn’t have any open roster spots, but the organization hoped its second-round pick would agree to join its D-League team. The problem was Antetokounmpo also had a lucrative offer from a European team on the table. So he had to make a choice: take the money, or chase the dream.

The Knicks took Antetokounmpo with the 51st pick in the draft. Nick Laham/Getty Images

The phone call from Jackson ultimately made it an easy decision.

"That was major," Antetokounmpo said.

So Antetokounmpo, the older brother of Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, decided to leave a reported $500,000 on the table and join the Westchester Knicks.

"It's my dream to be here with the Knicks," Antetokounmpo said Wednesday at the team's media day. "The Knicks gave me the opportunity to be here. They drafted me and I think they trust me."

The organization views the 6-foot-7 wing as a long-term project and hopes he can become a player who can defend multiple positions and knock down shots on the perimeter.

"We want to see him be able to be comfortable on the perimeter with guard skills," said Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston, who also serves as GM of the Westchester Knicks. “He shot the ball better toward the end of the year in the D-League, so we think he can improve there, as well."

Antetokounmpo averaged 12 points on 47 percent shooting last season with the Delaware 87ers and hit 31 percent of his 3s. But the Knicks are more enamored with Antetokounmpo's energy and defensive prowess.

"His impact on the game is high. He finds a way to leave an imprint," Houston said.

Antetokounmpo has been working out with his D-League teammates at the Knicks' training facility as they prepare for the season opener on Nov. 16. He's impressed coach Kevin Whitted and his staff during workouts. But the organization hopes that the best is yet to come for Antetokounmpo.

"We want to build him from the ground up," Whitted said. "We want to focus first on establishing great footwork with him ... and just building everything up from really the feet all the way up.

"If we can do that, I think Thanasis can have a long career."

Question: Where do you project Antetokounmpo? Will he ultimately help the Knicks?

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