The New York Knicks traded for the draft rights of Spanish center Willy Hernangomez last year with the hopes of developing him into a future star of the league.

Even after only joining the team at the start of training camp earlier this month, the 22-year-old Madrid-native has already drawn a lot of praise from his team especially from franchise player, Carmelo Anthony.

The 6-foot-8 forward has gone as far as comparing Hernangomez to another Spaniard and that is two-time NBA all-star Marc Gasol.

Drawing that kind of comparison is huge for the rookie as his fellow countryman has emerged as one of the premiere centers of the league. If he wants to eventually be in the same conversation as Gasol, he needs to do a lot of work in order to become an All-Star level talent, which is very premature talk at this point.

Hernangomez played in his country's domestic league the past two years where he got valuable experience as a member of Real Madrid, one of the stronger teams in Spain. He made it to the ACB Young-Players Team for two consecutive seasons and eventually to the National Team after his strong showing in the pro-league.

With a revamped roster and the guidance of Anthony, Willy Hernangomez is being set-up for success. If he plays to the level of his potential, look for him to be a fan-favorite in New York.