New York Knicks stars shine at FIBA EuroBasket 2017

New York Knicks fans are getting an early sneak peek at two of their prized young international stars at EuroBasket 2017.

The 40th FIBA EuroBasket tournament is currently underway, hosting 24 international teams vying for Olympic consideration in 2020. The competition includes plenty of current or former NBA players representing their home countries in spirited matchups right before training camps start to get underway.

The New York Knicks have two of their frontcourt starters in the competition with forward Kristaps Porzingis representing Latvia and center Willy Hernangomez playing for Spain. The dynamic Knicks duo may not be teammates during this tournament but will be benefiting from the extra work before training camp is officially underway.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas is also a heavy participant in the tournament representing Lithuania, and will be using this time to gain more opportunities this upcoming season off the bench.

Kuzminskas doesn’t get the attention like his fellow international Knicks teammates, but his performance so far has already begun to turn heads. In a 79-77 losing effort against Georgia, Kuzminskas scored 18 points in 27 minutes of play. Leading the team in scoring was a bit surprising as the second-year NBA pro was looked at as more of a role player, but his nine points in the fourth quarter proved otherwise in his mind.

Porzingis and his Latvia teammates also lost their first contest against Serbia, 92-82. The 7’3″ sharpshooter was electrifying the crowd on both ends of the floor, providing exciting defensive blocks, clutch 3-point shots and a thunderous slam that still has social media buzzing.

Porzingis’ 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting to go along with three turnovers may not look spectacular statistically, but it showed his strong versatility at several positions. Porzingis played mostly center in the game, forcing him to guard bigger and stronger players while continuing to spread the floor on the offensive end.

The My NBA 2K18 mobile cover athlete will continue to see more minutes at center and should use this time to adjust to the position as he will likely end up there as his career progresses.

Hernangomez and his mighty Spain squad demolished Montenegro 99-60 as a team expected to carry on quite well in the tournament thanks to a roster still intact from past Olympic appearances. Hernangomez, teaming with his brother Juancho from the Denver Nuggets, scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, proving to be a reliable offensive force.

The Hernangomez brothers are ironically teammates with the now legendary Pau and Marc Gasol, who have shared plenty of international and NBA success. The idea of being compared to Marc Gasol was brought up to Willy during an interview with the New York Post back in April of this year.

"“I like it when someone compares me with Marc. We’re different. He’s an All-Star. I’m a rookie. For sure Marc is one of my idols. … And maybe five, six years, I can say Marc and me are similar players.”“We both like to play in the low post. Both like to rebound and pass to our teammates. We like to share the ball, but he’s a better shooter than me. I have to work hard at that. I think we have similar bodies. I’m more athletic than him, but Marc is unbelievable. He’s taller than me and heavier. I think I can get down the floor faster than him.’’"

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The tournament is set to go on until Sept. 17, Knicks fans should expect more highlights from their international players and more importantly growth heading into training camp.