Carmelo Anthony will act like a brother to Kristaps Porzingis

Kristaps Porzingis is one of this year’s NBA rookies with the highest ceiling, and his New York Knicks teammate Carmelo Anthony feels bad about the pressure he faces.

By taking 7’1″ big man Kristaps Porzingis with the 4th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, the New York Knicks not only showed their faith in the young Latvian, but placed a great deal of pressure on his shoulders as well. It’s to be expected for a 4th overall pick, yet for a player who’s praised by many and doubted by others, Porzingis has a lot of critique heading his way in the upcoming season.

He won’t be alone, though. Whilst Carmelo Anthony may look as though he’s only worried about making money and making shots, he’s still concerned about the pressure that Porzingis will deal with this year.

Ian Begley of ESPN has reported a recent comment by Melo, declaring his concern for his young teammate:

For a player like Kristaps Porzingis, who’s coming over from Europe as one of the most hyped up rookies in his entire draft class, Carmelo Anthony acting like a big brother to him is exactly what he needs. It will help Porzingis grow in confidence if an eight-time All-Star is willing to look over him, not to mention the ways that Melo can help tutor him to improve his already diverse offensive skill set.

Porzingis shot 35.9 percent from three point range with Baloncesto Sevilla last season, and continued to showcase his impressive mid-range game as well. He shot 49.6 percent overall to average 11 points per game, along with 4.6 rebounds and 1 block. In Summer League, he showed more flashes of his shooting ability from distance and his touch around the rim, while even managing to reject 3rd overall pick Jahlil Okafor three times in the Knicks matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.

As for how he can improve, though, Melo can play a key part. The two haven’t waited long to get to work together either, as Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders has reported:

It wasn’t too one-sided, though, as Porzingis was able to grab a few wins in his one-on-one work against Melo:

After playing in Europe against older and more physically developed players than those who are in college in the States, Kristaps Porzingis at least has the experience of playing against bigger bodies. He’s working hard to gain weight this offseason, and that will go a long way to helping him compete against the tough competition of NBA level frontcourts.

Porzingis has combined that work ethic with his unique skill set to impress his Knicks teammates already, which is a good sign as he looks to establish a significant role in New York this season:

In addition to just the physical element of the NBA, though, Porzingis can learn from an elite scorer like Carmelo Anthony to help refine his offensive arsenal even more, while learning some post-up tricks and developing his perimeter play.

If the Knicks give him the minutes to grow and Porzingis can find his feet in the league, his ceiling really is sky high. However, he’s still going to need a lot of time to get there.

But let’s face it, the Knicks aren’t exactly going anywhere soon either; they can afford to give Kristaps time to grow.

So, in the meantime, all he can do is work hard and continue to learn. The guidance and companionship of Melo could be exactly what he needs as a rookie facing pressure in the media intensive environment of New York city.

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