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New York Knicks: Looking on the bright side of the future

By Joseph Franco

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 27: Willy Hernangomez #14 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks high five each other during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 27, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 27: Willy Hernangomez #14 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks high five each other during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 27, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The bright side of trading Carmelo Anthony is getting to watch how Kristaps Porzingis and the younger players prove theirselves as franchise cornerstones.

At age 22, Kristaps Porzingis has shown remarkable upside. He’s given New York Knicks fans every reason to believe he’s a future All-Star. Throughout his first two NBA seasons, however, Porzingis has taken the back seat to Carmelo Anthony.

Now that Anthony has been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s finally Porzingis’ time to flourish within a fast-paced offense under head coach Jeff Hornacek.

With Anthony no longer commanding the highest percentage of the Knicks’ shot attempts, fans should expect Porzingis’ scoring average to jump a significant amount. That could subsequently lead to a first career All-Star Game appearance in the lowly Eastern Conference.

After averaging 23.6 points per game at FIBA EuroBasket, fans should expect around the same production from Porzingis when he becomes the number one scoring option in New York.

The Knicks’ front office has done a great job of rounding out the current roster with a fair share of young players and veterans. Surrounding the eighth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, point guard Frank Ntilikina, will be respected veterans such as Ramon Sessions and Jarret Jack.

That should help create a smooth transition for the 18-year old rookie out of France.

Willy Hernangomez’s rookie year was eye-opening to those who weren’t sure what he was capable of. He’s just 23 years old and already has soft touch around the rim. Based on what he’s shown, he has the potential to become a great two-way player with his size and skill level.

Hernangomez averaged 16.0 points and 13.6 rebounds per 36 minutes during the 2016-17 season.

Hernangomez will be fighting for minutes this upcoming season with the recently acquired Enes Kanter. It’s possible that Kanter will get the starting job, especially after he averaged 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in just 21.3 minutes per game for the Thunder last season.

Those averages translate to 24.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per 36 minutes.

A fan favorite in New York when he was drafted by the Knicks at 24th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, Tim Hardaway Jr. has come back to the Big Apple for a second stint with the franchise. Hardaway Jr. is 25 years old and has matured a lot since the last time he wore orange and blue.

Thankfully, he still plays with as much fury as he did during the previous two seasons he played for the Knicks.

Last season with Atlanta, Hardaway averaged 19.1 points, 3.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per 36 minutes for the Atlanta Hawks. Many times, he was the spark plug who led Atlanta to late comebacks.

With all of this young talent, it shows that the Knicks are trying to build their team through the NBA Draft. History has shown that this is the best way to build a successful NBA team.

Must Read: 5 reasons to love trading for Enes Kanter

The New York Knicks are excited about the potential of the players they currently have on the roster. As New York starts a new chapter, fans should echo the excitement.

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