Last season, Kristaps Porzingis played some minutes at the center position.

His thin frame obviously gave him problems bodying up inside the paint, but his length and athleticism made up for it.

This year, the Knicks will get to protect their budding star from further bruises care of opposing centers as Joakim Noah enters the fray. All 6-foot-11 of him running down the court and getting physical underneath the basket is indeed welcome help for Porzingis.

In Ian Begley’s article for ESPN, the young Latvian shared his thoughts on his first encounter with Noah since becoming a Knick.

“The first conversation we had, I was in the training room. He came in with his shirt off, and I was like, ‘Oh man, you’ve been working out.’…. And we kept on talking, and he just got so intense, like he really feels it. He was like, ‘Yeah, man, this is a big opportunity; we’ve got to give it our all.’”

Noah suffered through a disappointing season last year, but now appears to be ready to remind everyone that he’s only a couple of seasons removed from his All-NBA First Team and Defensive Player of the Year form.

While the All-Star center is expected to adorn the statsheet with boards, steals, rejections, and dimes, what excites Kristaps Porzingis more are the intangibles that his new teammate brings to the floor.

“That’s the type of guy that we want on our team. He brings that good energy. He brings that spirit, you know? So from the first opportunity that we got to talk, I fell in love with [his intensity].”

The Knicks will be under the microscope this season with all the talent in that roster. They’re great on paper, but when it comes to the true test against opponents who will hold nothing back against them, having a guy like Joakim Noah, and a healthy one at that, certainly helps.