The New York Knicks, a couple of years ago, selected Kristaps Porzingis with the 4th overall pick in the 2015 draft. The very moment that the Knicks selected the big man, a string of boos were shouted from the arena. It is clear that they were wrong and so were a lot of critics equally that labeled him a bust.
The question still lies if he can become a stellar superstar? Can he lead the Knicks to a championship? Another question is if the team can make the playoffs this year in a tightly contested Eastern Conference.
This season
The Knicks currently sit at the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 23-29, a conference that has gotten better and that has been more competitive than years prior.
The team is trying to make a late playoff push to reach the postseason.
Although, the team has played well this year, despite not being at .500, the combination of a tough schedule and an immense amount of away games has caused it. The bright spot on the team has undoubtedly been Kristaps Porzingis, but they have gotten great production from center Enes Kanter, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Michael Beasley.
Despite the talent surrounding them, I do think that the Knicks will fall just short of reaching the playoffs unless they make some amazing trade to get players to help them get into the postseason. The big issue with the Knicks is that they are tied down with Joakim Noah's contract and questions at the point-guard position.
I believe if they want to trade any players away it should be Lance Thomas, Doug McDermott, and Guillermo Hernangomez. All of these players have been out of the rotation or have not been making a big factor on the floor. Courtney Lee has been playing very well for the team and I do not believe they should trade him away.
Porzingis's future and performance
The best player on the team is surely Kristaps Porzingis who has a bright future for the team. Porzingis has been averaging about 23 points per game, along with close to 7 rebounds with 2 blocks. Numbers found on the ESPN database. It is well above his career average of about 18 points per game.
The Knicks would be foolish to not sign the power forward when his contract expires. The future looks pretty good for the player as he could be a Knick for life because of his love for the city of New York and the stellar star that he is developing into.
That is not to say that he does not need to improve in other areas, but he does a lot of great things at the age of just 22. He needs to get stronger to score in the paint against stronger opponents. However, Porzingis has gotten better in shooting from the three-point line shooting about 40% from that range. He is a very special player being able to shoot mid-range jumpers and from the three for his size at being 7'3.
He also can dribble the ball well for his stature and has good speed.
The big man has been able to develop more of a hook shot this season as he needs to expand his game to become a superstar and I believe he will in due time.
Modeling after another superstar
Watching the Knicks star play, I notice that he has taken elements from another superstar and that star is in fact, Carmelo Anthony. Porzingis this year has been posting up opposing players and scoring fading away from the basket, resemblant of what Carmelo did for so long in New York. He also shoots a lot of mid-range jumpers and from the three-point line like Anthony did. He has been able to create fouls getting pushed on the ground or fouled trying to post up too.
The big difference though to be honest is the fact that Porzingis plays much better defense.
He has the length to shoot over any defenders and to block shots from other players. It is clear to me that he has taken elements from the fellow Knick and that he is going to go down as a better Carmelo Anthony. A special star. A kid from Latvia who everyone doubted.
