The New York Knicks have Kristaps Porzingis coming in with high expectations as a rookie and after playing Summer League ball, Porzingis reportedly was working out with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony and this comes as Porzingis could challenge Derrick Williams for minutes if he performs well, while Thanasis Antetokounmpo is competing for a roster spot.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Porzingis posted on social media a video of him working out with Anthony and other Knicks staff members. Porzingis was hitting threes in the video and his shot from long range looked smooth and he was able to make shots easily. Porzingis obviously will have a harder time when he has defenders in his face, but he performed well in the summer league and will get the chance to contribute this season.
The Knicks have tried to temper expectations about Porzingis, as they know he is a project player and needs time to develop. The Knicks are planning to use Porzingis at power forward along with new free agent addition Derrick Williams and that will leave Robin Lopez as the main center. Porzingis has a more polished offensive game than defensive game and he will have to work on that side of the court.
The Knicks have signed 2014 draft pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a contract that is partially guaranteed, with Pro Basketball Talk reporting the deal is $75,000 guaranteed. Antetokounmpo is battling for a roster spot with Wesley Saunders and Darion Atkins, while Sasha Vujacic and Kevin Seraphin have joined on guaranteed deals. The Knicks could make some tweaks to the roster heading through the summer, but the team is mostly set with their starting lineup and reserves at this point
The team brought in Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams Kyle O'Quinn and Arron Afflalo for Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson is expecting the team to get a lot out of their young players. According to ESPN New York, the team have Langston Galloway on the roster along with Lance Thomas and Cleanthony Early.
At ESPN New York Ian Begley wrote earlier in the offseason that the team wanted to add another big man after losing Cole Aldrich to the Clippers. The team did that with Seraphin and it came as Phil Jackson wanted to add another front court player over a guard. Begley also reports that Antetokounmpo is competing to stay on the roster after being on the Summer League team.
The Knicks also were interested in bringing back Maurice Ndour after he played in the summer league, but they had competition from other teams and now he is with the Dallas Mavericks. According to Ian Begley, Ndour has signed a three year deal with the Mavericks and he reports that the Mavs "offered more guaranteed money" than the Knicks.
Check here for more on the Knicks offseason moves and more on Porzingis and Antetokounmpo.