New York Knicks trade rumors update: Porzingis expected to have great year

With the new season still a few ways away, NBA teams are now concentrating on strengthening their roster as they hope to make it deep later on in the campaign.

For the New York Knicks, they are now a completely overhauled team and are looking like contenders in the Eastern Conference.

They have four notable new signings, with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah coming from the Chicago Bulls, while Courtney Lee is looking like a steal out of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Brandon Jennings is also the team's backup point guard who can provide instant offence, but the Knicks are still likely to rely on the two big stars they had last year.

One is Carmelo Anthony, an offensive powerhouse and undoubted leader of the team, while the other is a European wonder in Kristaps Porzingis.

Entering his second year in the season, the expectations are high for Porzingis. In fact, Sports Blog made a notion of whether Porzingis has what it takes to break into the All-Star team in the coming campaign.

The Latvian superstar took the league by storm, with his long frame and European descent, many considered him to be the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki. However, he looks to be veering away from being in Nowitzki's shadow as he tries to pave his own road to stardom.

During his first year with the Knicks, many fans disliked him as many believed that the Knicks wasted their fourth overall pick for him.

However, he was quick to sway the fans as he started with energy and confidence to take on the challenge that was presented to him.

After 72 games in the season, Porzingis finished with 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a game, all while playing only around 28 minutes per game.

Now that he is no longer a surprise and players now have knowledge on how he plays, it will be a bigger challenge for Porzingis to be a better player and to continue his progression in the league.