New York has very quickly become Kristaps Porzingis’ town and for good reason. The 7’3 rookie from Latvia, who was roundly booed on draft night when the Knicks took him with the fourth overall pick, is averaging 13.4 points and 8.6 rebounds through 25 games.
More importantly, he has Carmelo Anthony’s blessing to be the man.
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That’s no small thing. Anthony was treated as a hero returning home when he was traded to the Knicks in 2011. They even made this commercial for him.
As far as the Knicks’ offense goes, it still runs through Anthony. He’s averaging 21.8 points, putting up 18.2 shots and shooting 41 percent from the field (34.5 percent from 3-point range). It’s just that Porzingis has captured the fans’ imaginations for the future. Knicks fans realize that Anthony, 31, is close to the expiration date on his prime. Porzingis, 20, is brand new. And Anthony is all about helping him be the next great Knick.
I know what we have as teammates. Nobody can come between us despite what anybody says. Nobody,” Anthony told Yahoo. I support him 100 percent. In New York they can run you in the ground with all that attention. I’m there to just let him know that when it’s good, it’s great.”
It’s a far cry from how Anthony reacted to the last non-Carmelo sensation at Madison Square Garden. In 2012 Anthony was not into the “Linsanity” craze that evolved from the emergence of Jeremy Lin, who went on a brief tear that began when Anthony was out with an injury. After the season, Lin left after signing a large contract with the Rockets, at which Anthony scoffed at as “ridiculous.”
When Porzingis was drafted, reports surfaced that Anthony didn’t like the pick because he thought Pozingis would take too long to reach his potential. If those were true, he’s singing a new tune, and Porzingis said he’s been a model mentor.
“His is making a lot of situations [easier] for me,” Porzingis said. “Because of him I’m getting wide-open looks. He’s great. Playing alongside him, I can just read him and play off of him. When I am open, he is going to hit me. I don’t doubt that.”
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