Carmelo Anthony believes Kristaps Porzingis is the future leader of the New York Knicks.

Over 15 games this season, Porzingis is averaging 13.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

“He’s going to lead this organization long after I’m retired,” Anthony said. “Hopefully we can hoist one or two [championship trophies] before that happens.”

Anthony said he and Porzingis are "building" their relationship.

“I'm here to help him and use my experience and help him get his feet wet, and he's doing a pretty good job,” Anthony said.

J.R. Smith has been accused of choking a 19-year-old high school student in New York City.

According to the Daily News, which cited police sources, Smith allegedly confronted the teen, Justin Brown, after Brown heckled Smith for being traded by the New York Knicks.

The alleged incident occurred at about 4 a.m. ET on Nov. 13, outside Artichoke Basille's Pizza, not far from the popular lounge 1 OAK.

Police sources told the Daily News that Brown alleged that Smith, 30, "checked him against the exterior of the building and put his hands around Brown's neck."

Smith's attorney, Alex Spiro, called the allegations "absolutely false."

"We don't believe he's going to be charged," Spiro told ESPN.

"We are aware of the story and have spoken to J.R. about it," David Griffin said. "J.R.'s attorney has issued a statement on the matter and there will be no further comment from the team on this at this point."

Out of the last 16 European players drafted in the lottery, none have gone on to make an All-Star team.

The New York Knicks are hoping Kristaps Porzingis can eventually end that streak.

"He is long. He is athletic. He is tough. He's got a touch. He can put it on the floor," said Dirk Nowitzki.

"He is for real. Sky's the limit."

"I thought he'd be an All-Star in two to four years," said Scott Roth, who helped groom Porzingis at Sevilla. "But I thought he'd need more time for his body to catch up to him.

"He always had the toughness. He's always had the willingness to take the hit. He's never shied away from contact. But the big surprise to me, to this point, is his rebounding. He's holding his own around the basket."

"His numbers are better [in the NBA] because there's a big difference in style of play. Also because the refereeing is so much better, which gives him more freedom of movement. In the ACB, teams knew they could be physical with him and body him all the time and the refs would just let it happen."

Kristaps Porzingis has become a fan favorite for the New York Knicks just a few months after some fans at the 2015 NBA Draft booed his selection.

“The first day I got drafted, I felt the fans were really passionate about basketball and there was going to be a lot of pressure. I knew that, but I wanted to be in New York because I love pressure,” Porzingis told Yahoo Sports. “I knew we could do big things here in the future. If you can succeed in New York, you can succeed anywhere."

Porzingis' game has immediately translated to the NBA.

“His culture is basketball,” said famed Las Vegas-based trainer Joe Abunassar, who prepared Porzingis for the draft in each of the past two summers. “What he does at night is basketball. He trains in the morning and shoots extra at night. Whether you’re in Seville, Spain, New York or Vegas, when you talk about the cultural differences, he’s not much of a, ‘Hey, let’s go experience the culture.’ It’s let’s go to the gym. If you keep your culture tight like that, it’s easy to adjust.”

Porzingis currently has the fourth highest PER for a rookie in Knicks' history.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected D'Angelo Russell over Kristaps Porzingis with the second overall pick.

"I liked him because he’s athletic, can shoot the ball. From what we saw, he was able to shoot it from 3-point range pretty easily," Byron Scott said. "He’s a young kid that in the workouts that we had really didn’t show any fear."

The Lakers were concerned about the timeline of Porzingis' development. 

"[We] just thought it was going to take him some time [to develop]," Scott said.

Scott acknowledged how Porzingis has contributed immediately.

"Obviously, we were probably a little wrong about that because he’s playing pretty well right now," Scott said.

Kobe Bryant also was impressed by Porzingis.

"From what I’ve seen so far, he looks pretty damn good," Bryant said. "He’s skillful, he can do a lot of things. He seems to be very competitive, too. He has a good competitive spirit about him."

Carmelo Anthony was asked if he misses playing with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert as the New York Knicks prepare to play the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks traded Smith and Shumpert to the Cavaliers last January.

"I would love to play against my brothers," said Anthony. "It seems like LeBron took all my family from me."

Kristaps Porzingis had 13 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks and three steals against the San Antonio Spurs, impressing Tim Duncan in the process.

“He was impressive,” Duncan said. “He is a young guy, but his skill set is there.”

“I thought he had a brilliant game," Carmelo Anthony said. "I thought that this was one of his best games so far."

Jimmer Fredette has joined the Westchester Knicks of the D-League and hopes to become the New York Knicks' 15th man later this season.

“That was kind of the plan,’’ Fredette said Monday on a conference call. “We talked to them beforehand and we hoped to make it work so I’d be drafted by the Knicks.

“We had phone calls from other organizations. We’re very excited the Knicks were interested. I’m from upstate. It’s kind of coming back home. It’s not exactly where I’m from, but it’s definitely exciting to be back in New York. I loved watching the Knicks growing up. To be part of the organization in Westchester is a great opportunity for me to go out and play and hopefully be able to do good things and help the organization.’’

Fredette said he turned down offers to play in Europe.

“We looked at what would be the best option,’’ Fredette said. “We felt at this point the Westchester Knicks would be the best landing spot for me now. We’ll see how things play out.’’

The Knicks weren't interested in signing Fredette after he was released by the San Antonio Spurs.

“Every player in the triangle can play a different position on every possession,” Fredette said. “They don’t try to get caught up with who the point guard or shooting guard is. It’s just guards who can score and handle the ball and shoot and be a smart player to run it. I think that plays into my game. I can shoot the ball and handle it from different positions on the court. I think I can be successful in it.’’