When asked what he thought had led to his strong early start to the preseason, Portis passionately explained his offseason. “I credit my hard work over the summer,” Portis said. “A whole lot of naysayers talking crazy on my name. Every time I get on social media, every time I do something it’s always somebody’s saying something about me. I credit myself on working hard each and every year, getting better. “One thing I’ve done my whole career is just continue to get better each and every year no matter what nobody says. So, my biggest thing this summer was to get in the gym and just work. I worked every f—— day of my life this summer, like a madman, bro. I just want my work to show on the court. So hopefully, it just translates in preseason. But I’m just playing with confidence and going out there and being who I am. I put a lot of work into my craft.”