New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis has dreamt of becoming a franchise player. That dream will become a reality in 2017-18.
With mere days remaining until the start of the 2017-18 NBA season, all eyes are turning to Kristaps Porzingis. The New York Knicks are trusting Porzingis to replace Carmelo Anthony as the new face of the franchise.
Although being the franchise player of the Knicks requires a player to carry a significant burden on their shoulders, Porzingis isn’t backing down from the challenge.
Porzingis has spoken at length about his appreciation for the demanding nature of Knicks fans. He’s never been one to shy away from a challenge, and playing for a fan base that will call him out on his flaws has inevitably appealed to the 22-year-old.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Porzingis knows that mental strength will be the key to the process of replacing Anthony as the franchise player.
"“It’s something that I wanted one day, to be like that. I just kept working towards it, kept getting better. And I’m going to keep … growing as a player and hopefully year by year we can grow as a team also.”“Obviously, when it’s going great, then you can be the God, and then when it’s going bad, they want to kill you. So there are going to be some tough moments, I’m sure about that. I’ve just got to be strong mentally here in New York and it will be fine.”"
Porzingis set the personal goal of becoming a franchise player in the NBA, and in 2017-18, he’ll have a chance to realize that dream.
The amount of pressure that Porzingis is going to face in 2017-18 will be unlike anything he’s experienced thus far. Thankfully, he received a crash course of sorts when he took on the role of a No. 1 scoring option at EuroBasket 2017.
Porzingis excelled in that role, averaging 23.6 points per game and leading Latvia on an unexpected run to the quarterfinals.
The hope in New York is that Porzingis’ success in Europe will carry over to the 2017-18 season—both from individual and team-wide perspectives.
Porzingis’ first season at the helm will be one of significant change and turnover. Not only did New York trade Anthony, but it parted ways with team president Phil Jackson, signed and traded for new players, changed its offensive philosophy, and reassigned the coaching duties on defense.
Thus, Porzingis taking over as the franchise player will come with both new responsibilities and new surroundings.
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If Kristaps Porzingis displays the mental toughness of the ideal New York Knicks franchise player, the rest should fall into place.