Knicks draft Kristaps Porzingis 4th overall

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The New York Knicks selected Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

The pick was met with a mix of cheers and boos from Knicks fans who populated Brooklyn's Barclays Center, including one young fan who was literally in tears.

Don't call him "some skinny white guy," don't imply this is a reach, and don't sleep on him out of some preconceived notion about European imports. Porzingis deserves the chance to stand as his own player - his own 7-foot-1 player with a 7-foot-6 wingspan and a quick release on a pretty jump shot, either stationary or on the move.

Porzingis is a risk, to be sure. But he's also a 19-year-old who played big minutes in the world's second-best league and performed well, averaging 11 points and 4.6 rebounds while knocking down 35.9 percent of his threes. International stats from a teenager are difficult to translate without a grain of salt, but Porzingis's numbers are impressive.

With length, quickness, and the right attitude - he's said to really love the game and be set on proving the skinny-Euro archetype wrong - he could grow into a two-way threat. The defense will take some time, as he needs to add significant bulk to his 230-pound frame, but he should be fun to watch on offense from the get-go.

Porzingis's potential fit within a triangle offense, however, is questionable. Porzingis doesn't have much of a post game and is not a particularly skilled passer.

While he and the Knicks will likely need to discuss a timeline, Porzingis believes he'll be in the NBA next season, as the buyout of the final two years on his deal with Seville is said to be modest. If everything goes well, the Latvian national will be suiting up for the Knicks in 2015.

You can read more about Porzingis in our scouting report.