Kristaps Porzingis says he's ready to be the face of the Knicks, but it won't be easy

Kristaps Porzingis wants to lead the Knicks but the path will be difficult

Kristaps Porzingis is the best prospect the Knicks have had in well over a decade. It's been a long time since New York drafted someone, developed them, and built the team around him. Porzingis has a chance to be that kind of player for the Knicks and he's ready for the role.

Carmleo Anthony, the former face of New York, was traded away to Oklahoma City a couple of weeks ago, leaving Porzingis the title. When people think of the Knicks he's going to be the most recognizable player on the roster -- and rightfully so. That's a lot of pressure on a third-year big man, but to his credit he's ready to embrace his new role. Here's what Porzingis told Ian Begley of ESPN:

"It's something that I wanted one day, to be like that. I just kept working towards it, kept getting better. And I'm going to keep ... growing as a player and hopefully year by year we can grow as a team also," 

"Obviously, when it's going great, then you can be the God, and then when it's going bad, they want to kill you. So there are going to be some tough moments, I'm sure about that. I've just got to be strong mentally here in New York and it will be fine."  

Porzingis obviously has faith in himself, his ability to grow, and he believes that he's ready to be the face of the Knicks. That type of confidence is admirable, but it raises the question on if he really is ready. Has he shown in his two NBA seasons that he can lead the team as their No. 1 option and carry them to victories? A lot of pressure was taken off of him when Anthony was in town and now defenses will be focused entirely around him.

In some ways, yes, he is very ready. New York was a better defensive team last season with Porzingis on the floor and that's only more noticeable when looking at Anthony and Porzingis specifically. When the two shared the floor together New York gave up 110 points per 100 possessions, but send Anthony to the bench and that number falls to 102 points per 100. However, the offense does take a slight dip when Anthony is removed and that could be where Porzingis sees some struggles this season.

The triangle is apparently gone now that Phil Jackson is out of the picture and nobody is sure what type of offense Jeff Hornacek plans to bring in this season. It's very possible that a new system is going to free Porzingis' varied skill set on the NBA world. However, last season he struggled in isolation and post-up sets, shooting less than 40 percent in both areas, per Synergy. He shot better from 3-point range when Anthony was on the floor and generally played his best when someone else initiated the offense for him. With no guarantees at point guard to help get the ball to Porzingis there's a real offensive concern here. He should improve New York's defense, but he is not a star that can be given the ball and told to create offense -- not yet at least.

At 22 years old, Porzingis still has plenty to learn about being an NBA player. It's only his third season and he's already having the fate of a franchise put on his shoulders. While he says he's ready, and there are reasons to believe he can be ready, it's not going to be an easy road for him. There will be struggles and he will have growing pains. The removal of Anthony will limit him in just as many ways as it frees him. Is he ready to be the face of a franchise at this very moment? Probably not, but that's one he's being forced to embrace. Credit to him for doing so.