Knicks: Win-Now Mentality Is Good For Kristaps Porzingis

2. At The Heart Of A Winning Culture

The best thing that the New York Knicks can do for Kristaps Porzingis is build a culture that emphasizes winning above all else. It’ll instill a productive mentality of, “Win or fail,” which has been shared by every great Phil Jackson player.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, general managers Steve Mills is in complete agreement.

"Some assumed that the Knicks would rebuild slowly around Porzingis, a 20-year-old who will enter his second season, but Mills said he believes that “the best thing we can do to help him develop is to put him in a culture of winning basketball.”"

That’s an undeniable reality.

Jackson’s teams have always been built with the mentality of championship or bust. Even when a ring wasn’t realistically attainable, the belief that it was helped elevate the level at which every player performed.

Thus, if Porzingis is surrounded by players who are thinking championship or bust, then he’ll be held to the standard of playing at the highest possible level.

The beauty of this situation is that Porzingis already thinks along these lines. Now that his teammates are of a high enough caliber to make the playoffs, that mentality can lead to remarkable long-term results.

There’s no better way to develop a young player than by surrounding them with veterans who display a hunger to win.

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