After the New York Knicks selected him in the draft on Thursday, Frank Ntilikina was already excited about the prospect of playing alongside one of the best young players in the league today in Kristaps Porzingis.

However, the 7-foot-3 Latvian international was included in a lot of trade chatter ahead of the draft and there was a strong belief that he will dealt on the night. The good news for Ntilikina is that nothing materialized and he remains with the team for now.

Ntilikina hopes any plans of trading Porzingis will not push through as he knows that the latter is someone who can understand his situation, being an international player in the NBA at a very young age, with a lot of expectations on his shoulders.

Via Al Iannazzone of Newsday:

 “We’re both European. We both have a good IQ and playing pick-and-roll with him will be great. I just know that I will play great with him.”

It can be recalled that when Porzingis was drafted two years ago, Knicks fans booed him as they felt there were more talented players available, and that he won’t fit well in the team’s system. When Ntilikina’s name was also mentioned by commissioner Adam Silver, there were also some boos that were heard as he is a relative unknown and has not played in the U.S. yet.

As it turned out, Porzingis proved them all wrong with his impressive play, and turned them into fans. The 6-foot-5 guard also hopes he can do the same and show everyone that he is worthy of being selected eighth overall.