After an interesting offseason of acquisitions, the New York Knicks are back in the discussion for relevance in the Eastern Conference. But even Kristaps Porzingis understands that the team will need some time to adjust to all of their pieces.
In an interview with Ian Begley of ESPN on Sunday, Porzingis preached patience with the new roster.
“It’s going to take us some time to figure this whole thing out,” the 20-year-old big man said. “It doesn’t have to be in a week. It takes time.”
Porzingis’ words ring especially true considering Derrick Rose, the Knicks’ top get of the summer, was away from the team for a significant period over the preseason dealing with his civil rape case (which he was ultimately cleared in). Fellow newcomers Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings also are coming off down years and need to reinvent their respective games, while Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony are the only starters returning from last year’s team. Head coach Jeff Hornacek is also entering his first season at the helm of the Knicks.
As such, the Knicks could take weeks, even months before they fully hit their stride as a team. But with a hyper-talented roster from top to bottom and Porzingis himself appearing to be improving exponentially, they should be a lot of fun once they finally come together.
