When the New York Knicks made Kristaps Porzingis their first-round pick in the last National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, not to many people were thrilled with the selection.

At the time, there were fans thumbing down his selection, believing that the Knicks could have done better. But that was before Porzingis showed what he is capable of doing, all seven feet three inches of him.

His only handicap is perhaps his weight but the thing is, he knows how to jockey and fight for position. Such is something important and also a key factor that separates the boys from the men.

There have been bulkier tall guys in the NBA who could easily be pushed around; but Porzingis is more than proving that despite his lean frame, he is not scared to mix it up.

With that said, Porzingis has shown why he deserves to be in the NBA. He has the offensive sock, although such is expected to improve further. And with lots of years ahead of him, even teammate Carmelo Anthony sees him as the future of the Knicks franchise once he eventually packs up.

"He's going to lead this organization long after I'm retired," Anthony said via Fox Sports, "Hopefully we can hoist one or two [championship trophies] before that happens," the 31-year old franchise star also added. 

So far, the Knicks have surprised everyone. They weren't tagged as a team that would figure prominently, yet they tote an 8–7 card that is good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

A lot of critics didn't even pit them to go above the .500 mark and yet they have proven the critics wrong. It turns out that Knicks president Phil Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher did their scouting homework after all and now the jeers have turned into cheers.