Kristaps Porzingis Reveals Phil Jackson's Long-Term Vision to Rebuild NY Knicks

Across the NBA landscape, even the most unbridled optimists do not foresee a scenario in which Kristaps Porzingis immediately helps the New York Knicks climb out of the cellar.

He's only 19 years old. Overseas basketball isn't the NBA. Is he a power forward? A center?

On the most fundamental level, Porzingis doesn't fit the Knicks' desired mold. They're supposed to be chasing an instant turnaround, mostly through free agency.

And yet, in the short time since he joined the Knicks, Porzingis has revealed more about team president Phil Jackson's plans than any salary dump, free-agency meeting or offseason signing ever could.

First Off, There Is a Plan...a Real Plan

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Jackson tipped his hand long before the Knicks whiffed on DeAndre Jordan and were shunned by LaMarcus Aldridge, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski and NBA.com's David Aldridge.

It happened on draft night, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), D'Angelo Russell (Los Angeles Lakers) and Jahlil Okafor (Philadelphia 76ers) were all off the board, and the Knicks, at No. 4, were on the clock.

They could have selected Justise Winslow and placed stock in the Jimmy Butler comparisons.

They could have taken Mario Hezonja in hopes that the Croatian was more futuristic Kobe Bryant than present-day J.R. Smith.

They could have reached for Willie Cauley-Stein, plugging the battle-tested defensive dynamo into the middle and letting him roam the floor in search of blocks and turnovers.

Instead, the Knicks picked Porzingis, a spindly 7-footer with the offensive upside of a prime Dirk Nowitzki but with the above-the-rim explosion of a leaner DeAndre Jordan. His ceiling, then, is that of a score-from-anywhere big who can also block shots.

Those don't come around often—or, frankly, ever.

The list of NBA players with that end-to-end versatility can be counted on one hand. There's Anthony Davis, and that's it.

In a few years, there could be two more: Towns and Porzingis.

Emphasis on "few years."

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Most of the time, when there's this much potential involved, the player in question is a project. Porzingis, by Jackson's own admission, is a project. As he told reporters just after the draft, per the New York Times' Scott Cacciola: "We know it's going to be a maturation process."

This came from the same Jackson who, roughly two months before the draft, indicated the Knicks were all in on free agency, via the Wall Street Journal's Chris Herring:

Some can and should argue that the Knicks have been successful this summer. Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez and Kyle O'Quinn are all solid pickups who deepen the roster and put the team in position to distance itself from last season's 17-win scrapheap.

And, in hindsight, these are additions most should have seen coming, even as the rumor mill mentioned the Knicks alongside marquee names.

Porzingis' arrival implies patience, an unprecedented concept within the walls of Madison Square Garden. The Knicks aren't going to haphazardly invest tens of millions of dollars in one flashy stud just so they can snag a few extra victories, maybe even a playoff berth, in 2015-16. That's short-term thinking.

The Knicks, as Porzingis shows, are playing the long game.

Melo Is a Secondary Concern

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Carmelo Anthony, from the looks of things, can still be a part of the Knicks' future.

Unlike before, he just isn't their future in its entirety.

Rumors of his distaste for the Knicks taking Porzingis—as well as turning Tim Hardaway Jr. into rookie guard Jerian Grant—persisted right after the draft, per the New York Daily News' Frank Isola:

Although Anthony quelled much of the rampant speculation by reaching out to Porzingis and maintaining everything was peachy keen, according to ESPN New York's Ian Begley, the Knicks' sudden shift in priorities is still reverberating throughout the Big Apple now.

Anthony is only one season into a five-year deal worth more than $120 million. He's also 31 and coming off knee surgery. The time for him to win as a superstar is now. And if he were still the focal point of the Knicks' rebuild, as initially assumed, their summertime direction would reflect that urgency.

But, insofar as he's supposed to be Jackson's top priority, Anthony has definitively been moved to the back burner.

"Carmelo's always on my mind," Jackson said, per USA Today's Howard Megdal. "He's our favorite son. But the second-most important thing is what we do for this franchise. And that has to be a consideration."

More of a consideration than even Anthony, his no-trade clause and his fast-closing superstar window?

One need only look at Porzingis, a cornerstone who may not begin to pay real dividends until after Anthony turns 35, to find the answer.

Phil's More Modern Than We Thought

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Time is a flat circle, and the Knicks offense is supposed to be a triangle.

Apparently, though, their offensive model is fluid.

Many of the triangle's core tenets will clearly still be applied, namely off-ball movements and reflexive passing. But, by all appearances, the Knicks have some wiggle room to explore and experiment.

Porzingis isn't the project you undertake if you're looking for a traditional big who operates solely out of the post. Mostly because he isn't a traditional anything. He jacked up 117 three-pointers in Europe last season, which would have ranked as the eighth-most attempts by any 7-footer in NBA history.

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At his peak, Porzingis should be a multiposition tower who is neither pigeonholed to the power forward slot nor chained to the paint. The Knicks are fully aware of this versatility and plan to exploit it.

"We see Kristaps evolving, not use the word power forward, but maybe even center as he grows and matures in this game," Jackson said, per ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk. "So he's going to be able to play multiple positions because of his skill and the distance he can shoot the ball at."

Imagine that: The old-school Jackson leaving open the possibility that Porzingis—a center by height, a stretch 4 by craft—will play the 5. That's progressive thinking, and it suggests that Jackson isn't as married to the triangle as he once was.

And that, in turn, means the Knicks' future isn't prematurely set in stone. It could include anything. More pick-and-rolls. Additional three-point shooting. A fast-paced offense.

Anything.

Which, for the record, isn't a bad thing.

The Future Looks Bright

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For the first time in a long time, the Knicks look to be in good hands. Their roster is still teeming with what-ifs and remains unfinished, but what they have now is a start.

As Michael Pina wrote for Sports on Earth:

"

New York doesn't have its first-round pick next year, but after that it has them all. They should also have max cap room next summer, and will field a roster with several tradable pieces. Only on the job 16 months, Jackson's quietly infusing self-awareness in an organization that's had its head stuck in sand for most of the last decade. This summer went a long way to correct the perception that Phil was bordering on delusional senility. Instead, the Knicks finally appear to be in the hands of a genuine caretaker. They'll be modestly competitive this season. But more important than that, Jackson's set them on a promising path where celebratory events can happen in June instead of July.

"

Whatever happens from here on, this summer, specifically Porzingis, will be remembered as Jackson's first great victory at New York's helm. Porzingis could flame out, assuming a spot in the pantheon of draft busts, and that would still be true.

Because if nothing else, Jackson has changed the way these Knicks think by emphasizing the importance of a big picture that, truthfully, may not take full shape until after he's released the reins.

And for a team that's gone so long without a big picture to transcend the immediate one, there is no greater victory.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com. Player moves courtesy of ESPN's tracker unless otherwise noted.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.