On Wednesday night, New York Knicks rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis continued to build upon an excellent first season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, as the Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers to improve to 9-10 on the season.

As a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that held the second pick in June’s NBA draft, I obsessively followed the 2015 draft class in the months leading up to selection night, scouring the Internet for highlight videos and burying myself in online scouting reports.

The prospect that stood out to me the most was the Latvian-born Porzingis.

Porzingis did not seem like the most NBA-ready prospect. As a 19-year-old, the forward was largely unproven at the professional level and, at 230 pounds, had barely filled out his lanky frame. But his skill set was like nothing I’d ever seen. Standing 7-foot-3, Porzingis has the shooting stroke of a 6-foot-6 wingman. He handles the ball with the confidence of a guard, runs the floor during fast breaks, and plays in the paint with commanding authority. It was immediately clear after watching a three- or four-minute highlight reel just how special he really was.

When the Knicks chose Porzingis with the fourth pick, I understood why some Knick fans were frustrated. Since the team made last made the NBA Finals in 1999, they’ve missed the playoffs 11 times. Knicks’ superstar Carmelo Anthony turned 31 a few weeks before the draft, and while age has not yet effected Carmelo’s level of play, drafting an unproven 19-year-old could delay the rebuilding process as Anthony enters the latter years of his prime. That fans were upset the team passed up on more tested prospects — particularly point guard Emmanuel Mudiay — was understandable.

What baffles me is the idea that the Knicks shouldn’t have drafted Porzingis because, historically, some white European big men have not fared well in the NBA. Dirk Nowitzki and the Gasol Brothers are obvious exceptions, but strongly touted prospects like Andrea Bargnani and Darko Milicic floundered once they reached the league.

After the first 19 games of his NBA career, I can’t help but think how ridiculous this contention was. Obviously, Porzingis’ ability isn’t diminished by where he grew up. The only commonalities between Porzingis and the Darkos of the world are their respective foreignness. What makes Porzingis different from European predecessors like Milicic and Bargnani is that he has the skillset to become a one-of-a-kind NBA superstar — they didn’t.

Email Charlie Lyttle at [email protected].