Hmmm, not sure how to answer this exactly. If I've given anyone the idea that Porter is my first choice, then I apologize, because he's not. However, I wouldn't be disappointed if he ended up being the choice. I certainly have questions about him, as I do others. Most of my responses were mean't to balance some of the posts on this thread, where it appeared to me that some people were just making up anything that popped into their heads as a way to discredit Porter. Or perhaps listening to the smoke and mirrors being floated around right now.
That said, prior to the season, I had Porter right up there at the top of my list, along with Doncic. And then when Bagley reclassified, it became a three man race for number one in my mind.. I don't have a problem with Porter's shot, and I certainly wouldn't compare it to Ball's, which is one of the strangest shots I've ever seen. He does bring the ball further back than I would like, but he has a very high release that I do like. He's also very creative at times, scoring off the dribble in a variety of ways.
It's a shame we didn't get to see him compete in college. I totally discount the two games he did play in, which unfortunately leaves us with his highschool games to judge him on. But he wouldn't be the first player to be in that situation. What makes his case unique, is the fact he had the back injury. If he were allowed to go directly from highschool to the NBA, like Lebron, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. And that's not a comparison to Lebron other than the situation.
Look, there were times in highschool when he appeared to be disengaged, or perhaps confused defensively. And yes, that bothered me. There were times when I thought he forced up shots when he should have moved the ball. There were times when I thought he had a chance to take a charge, and instead played matador defense with an Ole!. But I could say the same thing about a lot of highschoolers. I always take a players age into consideration and remind myself that were dealing with kids, not adults.
On the other hand, I felt that for his young age, he was a very skilled player and more advanced than most others in his age group. No, he can't dribble the ball like Trae Young, but his handles are fine for a 19 year old SF/PF. While there are times I think he should have passed the ball, he does make very nice passes on occasion, which means he capable. Now will his current skill set make him an all star at the next level? No, of course not. It needs to improve, but as a young player, you don't really know how much, or at what, until confronted by an NBA defender.
It's a very rare player that doesn't have to make adjustments upon entering the NBA. The NBA is a spread the floor, pick and roll league. You won't see much of that at the college level, and certainly not at the highschool level. Particularly at the highschool level where defense is an afterthought. Think about it, how do you learn to defend the pick and roll if no one runs the pick and roll. Or seldom runs it. So before I end up writing a book, let me cut to the chase. If I have the 2nd pick in the draft, I would take Doncic if he's till sitting there. I doubt he'll ever be a superstar, but I do think he can be an all star.
Now if the Suns decide to take Doncic, then for me, it becomes more complicated. I'm stuck choosing between Bagley and Jaren Jackson. Purely a gut thing here. Something about Ayton bothers me, and I could be wrong about him. But I'm very high on Jackson, and to me he's the true mystery man in this draft. At the same time, I feel confident that Bagley will be a very good NBA player, just not sure how good. Hey, I felt that Kidd Gilchrist only needed to develop a consistent jumpshot to be a very good player. Never happened! So you never know do you?
So my last thought is this. In a league that currently values shooting more than anything else, it's probably a good idea to hang your hat on someone that can already shoot the ball as opposed to a player that you hope will develop into a good shooter. Unless that player is so unique in other ways, it justifies taking that gamble. One of the reasons I loved Mikal Bridges was the dude was an outstanding shooter, along with his solid defense. So pick your poison. I was partially wrong about Drummond, so I could be wrong about Ayton as well. With luck, I've confused everyone!
That said, prior to the season, I had Porter right up there at the top of my list, along with Doncic. And then when Bagley reclassified, it became a three man race for number one in my mind.. I don't have a problem with Porter's shot, and I certainly wouldn't compare it to Ball's, which is one of the strangest shots I've ever seen. He does bring the ball further back than I would like, but he has a very high release that I do like. He's also very creative at times, scoring off the dribble in a variety of ways.
It's a shame we didn't get to see him compete in college. I totally discount the two games he did play in, which unfortunately leaves us with his highschool games to judge him on. But he wouldn't be the first player to be in that situation. What makes his case unique, is the fact he had the back injury. If he were allowed to go directly from highschool to the NBA, like Lebron, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. And that's not a comparison to Lebron other than the situation.
Look, there were times in highschool when he appeared to be disengaged, or perhaps confused defensively. And yes, that bothered me. There were times when I thought he forced up shots when he should have moved the ball. There were times when I thought he had a chance to take a charge, and instead played matador defense with an Ole!. But I could say the same thing about a lot of highschoolers. I always take a players age into consideration and remind myself that were dealing with kids, not adults.
On the other hand, I felt that for his young age, he was a very skilled player and more advanced than most others in his age group. No, he can't dribble the ball like Trae Young, but his handles are fine for a 19 year old SF/PF. While there are times I think he should have passed the ball, he does make very nice passes on occasion, which means he capable. Now will his current skill set make him an all star at the next level? No, of course not. It needs to improve, but as a young player, you don't really know how much, or at what, until confronted by an NBA defender.
It's a very rare player that doesn't have to make adjustments upon entering the NBA. The NBA is a spread the floor, pick and roll league. You won't see much of that at the college level, and certainly not at the highschool level. Particularly at the highschool level where defense is an afterthought. Think about it, how do you learn to defend the pick and roll if no one runs the pick and roll. Or seldom runs it. So before I end up writing a book, let me cut to the chase. If I have the 2nd pick in the draft, I would take Doncic if he's till sitting there. I doubt he'll ever be a superstar, but I do think he can be an all star.
Now if the Suns decide to take Doncic, then for me, it becomes more complicated. I'm stuck choosing between Bagley and Jaren Jackson. Purely a gut thing here. Something about Ayton bothers me, and I could be wrong about him. But I'm very high on Jackson, and to me he's the true mystery man in this draft. At the same time, I feel confident that Bagley will be a very good NBA player, just not sure how good. Hey, I felt that Kidd Gilchrist only needed to develop a consistent jumpshot to be a very good player. Never happened! So you never know do you?
So my last thought is this. In a league that currently values shooting more than anything else, it's probably a good idea to hang your hat on someone that can already shoot the ball as opposed to a player that you hope will develop into a good shooter. Unless that player is so unique in other ways, it justifies taking that gamble. One of the reasons I loved Mikal Bridges was the dude was an outstanding shooter, along with his solid defense. So pick your poison. I was partially wrong about Drummond, so I could be wrong about Ayton as well. With luck, I've confused everyone!
Oh wait I just remembered who our GM is. 
