Fizdale excited for Knicks' culture reset, Porzingis' growth

The Knicks might continue to struggle, but for the first time in a while, there's plenty of optimism in New York after the team has suffered through mediocrity for the better part of two decades.

The Knicks began their offseason by bringing in former Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale to build a new gritty culture with the franchise's young core. That's something Knicks fans have been looking forward to after years of overpaid veterans failing to live up to lofty expectations.

"It's already happening," Fizdale told Channel 4 New York's Bruce Beck. "Kristaps (Porzingis) will come back healthy. He was already having a big time season last year when he got knocked down. We had an awesome draft with Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, and Allonzo Trier - our two-way player.

"Scott (Perry) and these guys are big-time sticking to an awesome plan of bringing in guys that maybe didn’t work out at a place where they were at before but are high draft picks. Under some good player development and some culture, maybe they can turn into something close to what they were expected to be ... We’re doing it the right way."

The Knicks have added former first-rounders Mario Hezonja, Noah Vonleh, Trey Burke, and Emmanuel Mudiay as reclamation projects.

But the top priority remains the growth of Porzingis, who is still recovering from a mid-season ACL tear and has no timetable for a return.

Fizdale visited the versatile 7-foot-3 giant in his native Latvia earlier this summer and spoke highly of their developing relationship.

"(Porzingis) likes the challenge of me saying I want him to be the MVP, I want him to be Defensive Player of the Year," Fizdale added. "Real competitors they want that. I'm going right at it with him. I want him to look at himself that way."