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Knicks' Porzingis happy to have Melo as a teammate

Adam Hunger / USA TODAY Sports

Many NBA lottery picks have to deal with being "the guy" immediately after being drafted. New York Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis hasn't had that experience, and he's feeling fortunate that the Knicks already had eight-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony on their roster.

"I'm lucky to have Melo on my side," Porzingis told Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal.

The 7-foot-3 power forward added that having Anthony on his squad meant he didn't have to endure the same expectations that other top picks in the 2015 draft have had.

Porzingis may be exaggerating the subdued pressure he faced because of Melo, considering he was booed incessantly by his own team's fans on draft night.

However, regardless of Anthony's presence, Porzingis has been excellent so far in his rookie season. He's averaging near double-double figures with 13.7 points, and 9.3 rebounds, while shooting 82.3 percent from the line.

For his part, Melo enjoys being a mentor to the Latvian rookie.

"I want to embrace it," Anthony told Newsday's Al Iannazzone. "I know what’s going to happen when I’m out of here. It’s (the team is) his. If he continues to do what he has to do and continues to play the way everybody knows he can play and gets better and evolves, it’s his for the taking."

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