It's a statement that we weren't expecting to admit until another two to three years, but in his rookie season Kristaps Porzingis has already shown what everyone hoped:

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He can be Carmelo Anthony's No. 2 guy. In a way that most New Yorkers would put it, he can be Batman's Robin.

"This Porzingis - Anthony connection is much better," said Marc Berman of the New York Post. "Porzingis attracks attention. It’s going to allow Melo to not be double-teamed as much. Porzingis is crashing the offensive glass.

"Late in the game in Houston, Melo missed a big shot but there was Porzingis to get the rebound and they got points out of the possession. That was late in the game and in a crucial possession.

"In years past, Melo misses the shot, the other team gets the rebound, and it’s a real momentum killer. It’s a great connection and Melo is always looking for him on the court and he’s become a distributor."

The new guy in Porzingis has brought out a new-look Anthony, although Berman says that this Carmelo has always been around.

"Melo has always wanted to share the wealth down the stretch. People have this idea that he wants to be the guy every night, no. Maybe in Denver that was his mentality but in New York, he realizes that he needs help in the final couple of minutes. Teams load up against him, he hasn’t been successful in late stages of games and now he has a guy to really help him late in games. I really help Fisher keeps Porzingis on the court in the final two minutes. I think he will now."

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