A Work in Progress, NY Knicks Front Line Could Be Great in Near Future

When the New York Knicks drafted the 19-year-old Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in June's NBA draft, team president Phil Jackson sent a clear message: The team's rebuilding plan will take time.

Instead of taking a proven college talent or trading the pick for an NBA veteran, the Knicks went with one of the more intriguing and promising prospects in the draft—though one who may be the furthest from his ceiling among this year's top choices.

In doing so, two things became near-certainties.

First, we learned that this season will likely be another rough one for New York—not as poor as last year's 15-67 campaign, but the playoffs are far-fetched with the team's first-round pick so underdeveloped. Second, it became clear that, in time, the Knicks will have supreme talent in their frontcourt between Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony, who's signed on through 2019. The signing of the 27-year-old Robin Lopez—a fantastic defender and efficient offensive player—made this even more apparent.

While Lopez seems to be just hitting his stride as a center in his prime, it won't be long before Anthony sees his pass him by—and Porzingis, at 7'1", 220 pounds, is years away from being a finished product. 

But if several variables—development, chemistry, fit—all pan out in the Knicks' favor, New York may have something special on its hands: one of the league's most dynamic front lines.

The Porzingis Experiment

The most important step in this rebuild is Porzingis' development. And while he has a long way to go physically, the skills he displayed in the summer league should have Knicks fans encouraged.

At 7'1", Porzingis will have a height advantage over virtually all of his matchups. At the power forward position—his most likely destination at the moment—not only will he be taller than his opponents, but he will also be more apt along the perimeter.

In Las Vegas, he mostly played center, so these chances came less often than they will in the regular season. But in glimpses, we saw how these mismatches could play out. 

Even for NBA-level defenders, guarding a player that big off the dribble won't be easy:

But leaving him with more than an arm's length of room proved to be an exercise in futility as well:

At his size, defending larger players should be an issue in the early stages of his career. But even with minimal experience against NBA-level competition, Porzingis is developing a good feel for how to cause havoc defensively by using positioning and his long arms.

Overseas, he wasn't known for being a particularly stout defender, but he did show an ability to block shots. That much has been on display this summer:

Essentially, Porzingis has impressed in the areas he was expected to—in addition to a few others (he's shown a good basketball IQ and seems to be a good fit in the triangle).

Rounding out his game will take time as he physically matures. But if he can use this season to improve his strengths while familiarizing himself with NBA competition, it could put him on track to be a competent starter by Year 2 of his career—which would be what the Knicks need to fast-track this rebuild. 

Known Quantities

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

No matter how long it takes Porzingis to develop into the player New York expects him to be, the other two components of the frontcourt are almost locks to work together in harmony.

In Lopez, the Knicks have a solid rim protector whom they won't rely on much offensively. He's not the prototypical post player the triangle thrives with, but Lopez is cut from the same cloth as the center Anthony last saw success with: Tyson Chandler.

Not known for much offense beyond point-blank range, Chandler managed to average 10.4 points and 4.1 offensive rebounds per game during the Knicks' 2012-13 season, when they won 54 games and finished first in the Atlantic Division. While less gifted athletically, Lopez figures to bring many of the same intangibles that Chandler did on both ends of the court.

During that season—one of Anthony's best ever—the Knicks outscored opponents by 7.4 points per 100 possessions when the two-man pairing of Chandler and Anthony was on the floor, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Among Melo's five most common pairings that year, this was the most efficient.

Posting and Toasting's Seth Rosenthal wrote more about what Lopez does on offense:

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Here's what Robin Lopez does on offense: He screens. He screens constantly. He screens on the ball and off it, then he rolls hard to the rim (a LOT), or he sinks into space then plows into position. It would behoove the Knicks to work some of that old high pick-and-roll back into their offense (and based on the end of last season, I suspect Derek Fisher is happy to do so), because Lopez has some...well, some Tyson Chandler-like qualities as a threat coming off screens.

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Of course, expecting top-flight performances right out of the gate is ambitious, considering Anthony missed most of last season with a knee ailment that required surgery and is returning to a Knicks team that will feature at least six new teammates. But in time, Lopez will likely prove to be a great fit.

Timeline: TBD

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

All three of New York's frontcourt assets are at different points in their career arcs. But once their progressions sync, the Knicks could boast one of the game's strongest front lines.

The fit between Lopez and Porzingis is almost textbook. While Porzingis spaces the floor and attacks from the perimeter, Lopez will be around to gobble up offensive rebounds, run the floor and protect the basket.

Should head coach Derek Fisher integrate more screening into the offense—and the latter portion of last season and this year's summer league lead you to believe he will—the options will be aplenty. Some 4-5 pick-and-roll action could be lethal and often result in wide-open looks for Anthony or Porzingis along the perimeter.

Porzingis should evolve into the kind of player who extends Anthony's career. In a few seasons, Melo could progress into a sharpshooting role, with Porzingis' offensive game expanding in areas that will make Anthony's life easier. Should the Latvian gain some quickness on defense, the Knicks could cross-match him onto opposing small forwards, allowing Anthony to conserve energy by guarding more stationary power forwards—and relieving him of the need to chase shiftier players around screens.

But, of course, this all depends on Porzingis' development. Given his length and skill set, there seems to be little chance of the fourth overall pick not panning out. The issue that will determine the Knicks' future, though, is when.

If the Zinger's maturation is a slow process—or if Melo's body fails him prematurely—this rebuild will be a phase that could suck up most of the near future. But if Porzingis can develop into a serious NBA talent before Anthony's skills diminish, New York's window to compete will open sooner than anyone is predicting.

Follow me on Twitter at @JSDorn6.

Stats are from Basketball-Reference.com.