The most intriguing pick of the 2015 NBA Draft has to be Kristaps Porzingis, going to the New York Knicks, which was initially met with criticism, which has turned into expectations that are varied and cover a lot of ground, but are a lot more optimistic after he gave fans a taste of what he can do in Summer League basketball.
One of the questions regarding Porzingis at this point is how much he’ll play and in what role. Despite Phil Jackson always leading on with his notion that he knows a lot more than everyone else does, he’s probably a little bit in the dark about the young Latvian as well.
It’s entirely up to Derek Fisher, but it would be great if KP could get as much as 20 minutes a game early in the season, plus maybe a few more later when he’s acclimated to the NBA game. It also has to be determined whether he’ll be more comfortable at power forward or center.
Well, it’s obviously more than just what Fisher decides. Jackson is running this team, and in a league that’s more and more about what the general manager says before anything else, Jackson probably has a lot of say in how the minutes are spread, especially in regards to the fourth overall draft pick in 2015 and someone the Knicks bet big on to become a pillar of their hopefully glorious future.
What won’t be surprising to see is Jerian Grant, the 19th overall pick the Knicks traded for with Tim Hardaway Jr., being the more prominent rookie this season. He’s more “NBA ready” as some (including Phil Jackson) would say, and it won’t be too much of a surprise to see him overtake Jose Calderon at some point as the starting point guard of the team.
Porzingis? The Knicks aren’t sure yet if he’s a center or a power forward, and as good as he’s been at times in Spanish basketball, private workouts and the Summer League, he is one big unknown the Knicks made a gamble on, which might turn out to be a huge success, but also explode in their faces.