Approaching his sophomore season, Porzingis has already made a massive impact on the ever-changing landscape of the NBA

Kristaps Porzingis made one thing very clear the minute he was drafted 4th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft: he doesn’t want to be an “unknown.” So far, he’s done exactly that.

Unlike many foreign players in the past, Porzingis has been able to disprove traditional stereotypes that have plagued foreign players who’ve been drafted before him, figures to play a large role in the league-wide shift to more versatile center position players and is already a pivotal piece of the next crop of elite players in the NBA.

A New Model for Overseas Talent

The 2016 NBA Draft set a record for the most (15) international players selected in the first round. It’s hard to say with complete certainty, but 2015 draftee Kristaps Porzingis may have had a lot to do with this. It’s no secret that the NBA is constantly being infused with overseas talent. Even Kobe Bryant realizes this:

They are just taught the game the right way at an early age…They’re more skillful. (via ESPN.com)

Drafting European players in the first round has been long documented as a crapshoot; they’re lottery tickets. None gaining more notoriety than Darko Milicic, who then Detroit President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, selected second overall over the likes of Carmelo Anthony (heh), Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. But aside from Milicic, there has been a long list of failed European prospects who generally have the same scouting report, the same type of game and the same sob story after they flunk out of the league after a few underwhelming seasons.

After the Knicks selected Frederic Weis 15th overall in the 1999 draft, he never played a minute in the NBA. Nikoloz Tskitishvili tallied a whopping 2.9 PPG after being selected 5th overall in the 2002 Draft. Yi Jianlian never lived up to expectations after being a star in the Chinese Basketball Association for years. Knicks fans know the tale of Andrea Bargnani all too well. My point is, European players have this strange, mysterious awe to them during the pre-draft process. Often, there’s limited, grainy footage of these players playing in lower level leagues across Europe. Along with the number of failed European prospects, this limited exposure eventually leads the majority of NBA fans and even some draft analysts to compare them to failed draftees like Bargnani and Milicic.

What Porzingis has done in his first season with the Knicks has, for the most part, completely shifted this narrative altogether. His success in his rookie season has at least given European prospects a chance to show their worth, before immediately being disregarded by fans for being “a tall, lanky, volume shooting, European stiff.” In fact, Porzingis’ skill type is the exact opposite of the stereotypical scouting report for European players–he’s athletic, he protects the rim, he’s not afraid of contact.

Porzingis has become the new European basketball model, most recently for Suns draft pick Dragan Bender. There’s an enormous amount of articles comparing the two, at least this means the end of every European draft pick being immediately viewed as a Andrea Bargnani-prototype. Sure, the likes of Nikola Jokic, Danilo Gallinari (miss you), Nikola Vucevic and Giannis have helped repair the image of international draft prospects, but Kristaps is that unicorn who really can’t be categorized or compared to any other player currently in the league. Hopefully the same goes for future international prospects; no predetermined comparisons, just a fair opportunity.

Small Ball Revolution — End of Traditional Big Man

The landscape of the NBA has undergone some monumental changes over the past decade and one of them might be upon us as we speak. Inside-out basketball might be all but a thing of the past as teams are looking to play a more uptempo, transition style of basketball. For example, take the 2015–2016 Warriors’ “Small Ball Death Lineup.” The lineup of Curry, Thompson, Iggy, Barnes, and Draymond provides better spacing and speed, the lineup shot 53.5 percent from three, outscored its opponents by 47 points per 100 possessions and can very well be considered one of the best NBA lineups ever. (Even though they blew a 3–1 series lead and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Championship.)

The important part here, besides the fact that the Warriors blew a 3–1 series lead in the NBA Championship, is that smaller, quicker lineups are becoming the new trend in the NBA. And how does this relate to Porzingis, you ask? Well I’ll tell ya, Porzingis can be an integral part of a small ball offense, even while standing at a measly seven-foot-three. Think about what makes a small ball lineup so intriguing and unique; most lineups feature a player at the five-position who’s typically not a threat from the three-point line. But, players like Draymond Green and Serge Ibaka who can play the 5-spot and have the ability to knockdown the outside shot allow teams to shift to that small ball lineup while still having a defensive presence in the paint. Kristaps can be that guy.

Having all five players on the floor who can be a threat from the three-point line (Jennings-Lee-Thomas-Anthony-Porzingis) makes it incredibly difficult for opposing teams to matchup on defense, especially teams that continue to roll-out traditional lineups with a classic big man in the middle. Biggest downfall of the 5-man small ball lineup? Defense. But wait, Kristaps Porzingis actually. plays. good. defense. I fully anticipate and hope he sees a large chunk of minutes where he belongs: the center position.

His unique blend of shooting, rim protecting, and the ability to run the floor make him a perfect fit for an uptempo, small ball lineup. And when Kevin Durant calls you a basketball unicorn, you better embrace your unicorn qualities and run free in the glorious fields of small ball heaven.

Porzingis and Fellow 2015 Draftees are the Next Crop of NBA Superstars

Sure, free-agency and trading may be the fastest, most risk-free way to secure proven talent in the NBA. We all know, especially Knicks fans, how much of a gamble the NBA Draft is every year. But, something weird happens in what seems like once every decade where there is a collection of sure-fire, can’t-miss draft prospects that elevate the caliber of talent currently in the league. Each special group of players can eventually result in a special era for the NBA.

There’s the 1996 NBA Draft class with Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic (GOAT EMOJI), Steve Nash, Big Z and, of course, Derek Fisher (boo, hiss). FIVE of the top six players in the 1996 NBA Draft went on to secure spots on various NBA All-Star teams. You know what? I feel like the 2015 NBA Draft class is the next group of players that’ll represent what players in the 1996, 1998, etc. draft classes did for their respective NBA eras.

Chris Bosh feels it too;

“I mean, people were kind of saying the past drafts, and no disrespect to everyone that were in those drafts, but they were saying they were kind of down years,you can see the excitement with the guys coming in with this class, and they’re living up to it. They’re doing a great job.”

“As the season goes on, it’ll get tougher and tougher, but you can definitely see the potential and the upside in a lot of these guys.” (via Washington Post)
As a rookie, Kristaps Porzingis has already cemented his name in NBA history, per Basketball-Reference, he’s the only rookie in the history of the NBA to score more than 1000 points, grab 500-plus rebounds, make 75-plus three-pointers, and block more than a 100 shots…that’s mind-boggling. Porzingis was unanimously selected to the the 2015–2016 NBA All-Rookie First Team. He finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year behind Karl-Anthony Towns (fair play). Kristaps Porzingis is the real deal.

The chart above lists the stats of the first 15 picks in the 2015 NBA Draft. Porzingis ranks in the Top-5 in each of these categories; points, total rebounds, minutes played per game, points per game, total rebounds per game, and win shares. Pretty good, imo.
Carmelo Anthony: also feeling it;

“The way that the game is going, it’s going much younger, the talent level from the younger guys is growing, year-in and year-out.
“They’re getting the opportunity. A lot of times, [it’s about] the opportunity that presents itself, and they’re taking advantage of that.” (via Washington Post)

The level of talent that is came from this draft alone, not to mention Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram this season, is pretty astonishing. When it’s all said and done, the 2015 class could very well challenge the 1996 draft class as the best ever, and Kristaps will be right at the top, leading the charge.

— Brendan Duball, senior writer