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New York Knicks: Should Kristaps Porzingis Be The Featured Star?

By Shawn Farhadian

Apr 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) high fives fans as he enters the court for warmups prior to the game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) high fives fans as he enters the court for warmups prior to the game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) high fives fans as he enters the court for warmups prior to the game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) high fives fans as he enters the court for warmups prior to the game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis has been developing the necessary tools for superstardom. Is it time for the organization to put him at the helm?

New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony came out of Syracuse University as an NCAA champion. With 36.4 minutes per game in 2002-03, he not only led the team in playing time, but he was clearly the overall leader of that team in general.

The Orange went 30-5 that season, the third-best record in the NCAA, and Anthony was drafted third overall by the Denver Nuggets in a star-studded draft class.

College players like these are, of course, appealing to NBA teams. A player who has proven to be a leader early on in his career can ultimately and effectively bring that mindset to another team in the NBA.

It stands to reason that this is exactly what went through the Nuggets’ minds at draft time.

Carmelo Anthony was put into a leadership position almost immediately after he was drafted. He started every game alongside Andre Miller, and he led the team in minutes and scoring per game.

All of this led to the Nuggets making the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

Following the Nuggets’ example, should the New York Knicks now make the same decision with Kristaps Porzingis? Let’s look at one more comparison that a lot of people like to use with Porzingis: Dirk Nowitzki.

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