Kristaps Porzingis believes he’s ready to headline the New York Knicks without Carmelo Anthony.
The New York Daily News‘ Frank Isola caught up with the 7’3″ skyscraper shortly after the Knicks traded Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick (via the Chicago Bulls). He was both thankful for the time he spent with Melo but ready to start existing without him:
“I am ready for the challenge,” Porzingis told the Daily News in his first interview since returning to the United States on Saturday. “I’ve been preparing myself for this moment.”
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“Carmelo was a mentor to me,” Porzingis said. “He was a big brother from day one. I texted him to tell him I appreciated that I was able to learn from him. Having him around was important for me. I respect him a lot. I also told him that if he doesn’t bring his Rolls Royce with him, I’ll take care of it.”
Public opinion appears to be split on whether Porzingis is ready to handle the load associated with being the unquestioned face of a franchise. The Knicks outscored opponents by more than 10 points per 100 possessions last season when he played without the starters, according to NBA.com, but that time mostly came against other bench units. Defenses will cover Porzingis differently without Melo in the fold.
Having Tim Hardaway Jr. and Michael Beasley on the docket only complicates matters. Neither player is known for his playmaking—though Hardaway has improved a great deal in this department—which could make for iffy on-court relationships with Porzingis. He may be the face of the franchise now, but the offensive pecking order is far from established. The Knicks need to make sure the priority among everyone in the locker room is featuring him—leaning on him like the star he is.
Of course, these are the Knicks, so who knows if things will work that way—particularly with Kanter inbound. They’ve resolved their Melo situation, but there’s no telling what comes next.
