New York Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis leads team back from 19-point deficit

The New York Knicks should have any concerns officially answered as far as Kristaps Porzingis being ready to become a leader. He has proven just that in only nine games and a huge come-from-behind win at home.

The New York Knicks may only be nine games into the season, and they may just be 5-4, but they are certainly more exciting than many basketball fans had anticipated. Just a year ago — perhaps not even that far back, even just this summer — the franchise was caught in a never-ending soap opera.

Now it seems whatever the drama had been during the summer, who cares? New York Knicks basketball is not only exciting and enjoyable to watch once again, they are actually looking like a team.

That is not to say they are without their woes on defense and offense, as well as certain players being mysteriously absent from seeing any minutes at all on the court. In any case, Kristaps Porzingis is setting the league on fire and breaking all sorts of records for himself and the franchise.

In just nine games, Kristaps Porzingis has accomplished the following.

• Set a career high in points twice, and now sits at a personal career high of 40 points
• He is the youngest player in Knicks history to score 40 points in one game
• Came into Sunday nights game leading the league in 30-point games. He has scored 30+ in seven of nine games.

How good is Kristaps Porzingis really?

There seems to suddenly be a lack of critics within earshot with claims of Porzingis not being quite ready to put this team on his back. He has done so, and not by simply putting up shot attempts in high volume. Porzingis is playing team basketball, leading by example and has quickly found himself in a groove while avoiding the foul trouble that plagued him last season.

More from New York Knicks

• NBA Trades: This swing-for-the-fences deal is a must for the Knicks
• Ranking Leon Rose’s three best and worst moves as Knicks President
• New York Knicks: Why Julius Randle is essential for the Knicks
• Should the Knicks trade up into the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft?
• Knicks 2023 offseason primer: free agents, trades, draft needs and more

To put it simply, there really is not enough to say about Porzingis after the Knicks were trailing by 19 points from the final minutes of the first quarter, to the final minutes of the fourth. As a team, the Knicks had seven blocks on the game, and six of the came from the Unicorn, who can now call Madison Square Garden his stomping grounds.

While he was two rebounds short of recording a double-double, statistics like that have little-to-no meaning in a come-from-behind victory for a franchise that has been a laughingstock year after year.

Finishing the night with a career-high 40 points, KP became the definition of reliable, shooting 15-for-24 from the field (62.5 percent) and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. At one point, he scored 15 points straight for New York to lead his team back from the bring.

It should not go without saying, Frank Ntilikina has also gotten his first taste of a moment that will likely forever be forged into his memory at MSG. The arena became absolutely electrified as he lined up and sank a 3-pointer that put the Knicks ahead for the first time since the first quarter as they would ultimately hold that lead and win 108-101.

For Knicks fans, moments like these have been incredibly rare and uncommon.

Next: 2017-18 Week 4 NBA Power Rankings

Although the New York Knicks are just 5-4 and there are many games ahead, fans can only hope that there is more of this magic to come from this franchise’s new youngsters.