New York Knicks 1st-Round Pick Kristaps Porzingis Proving Not to Be Joke in Early NBA Action

The New York Knicks have been pretty laughable as an NBA franchise the past couple of seasons, as well as much of the last two decades. That was no different during the 2015 NBA Draft this year, as their first-round pick ended up being another tall European player, of which so many typically pan out (said no one ever). In spite of that stigma, No. 4 pick Kristaps Porzingis is slowly but surely proving not to be the joke we all thought he might be in early action this season.

I mean, do you remember how this draft was expected to go? It was supposed to be Karl-Anthony Towns at No. 1, Jahlil Okafor at No. 2 and D'Angelo Russell at No. 3.

However, the Los Angeles Lakers shocked the entire world by taking Russell at No. 2, which then got Knicks fans unbelievably excited about the prospect of Okafor slipping to their spot, as the Philadelphia 76ers -- selecting third -- already had drafted big men with their top pick the previous two years.

Of course, Sam Hinkie decided to troll those Knickerbockers to level 9000 and took Okafor anyway (which has turned out to be the right choice for them, as Joel Embiid is still MIA).

That left the Knicks' fanbase rather depressed -- especially when the guy taken was some dude from Latvia. After all, I don't doubt many of those New Yorkers watch Baloncesto Sevilla regularly...

So despite a low shooting percentage, Porzingis is playing well, and so are the Knicks through the first five games of the season. They may be 2-3, but they've been much more competitive, and two of those losses have been to top teams such as the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Individually, Porzingis has been playing just over 20 minutes per game as the starting power forward, averaging about 12 points, seven boards, one block and two steals. His per 36-minute averages would then be around 19 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and three steals. That's truly fantastic for a rookie. And if he can get his field-goal percentage up a bit higher, then all the better, but that will come with more time and being able to get himself more consistent looks.

While it may be early, it's looking like the Knicks ended up with a promising player in Kristaps Porzingis. Knicks and NBA fans alike should be excited to watch this young man progress throughout the season, and potentially find himself in the race for Rookie of the Year at some point.