Michael Porter Jr

[ParniValjak]

Let me desipher this tweet.

"Memphis has targeted Luka Doncic and hope to overhype their love of MPJ so that the Kings sees how bad Memphis likes MPJ, thus tricking the Kings into taking MPJ #2, then Bagley goes #3 and finally Memphis gets their man Doncic at #4.

This smoke screen stuff is getting crazy!

If Kings cannot evaluate the prospects on their own and rely on other teams’ opinion, then we should really put a lock on the G1C, and just plain distinguish the franchise that is Sacrament Kings.

It staggers me that people think that front office of any team is swayed by the opinion of other front offices. Kings will pick the player they like the beat at 2 regaryof what other teams say.

 

[sactowndog]

Me too... The big difference between Porter and all of those other guys though is he's not freakishly long. His length is more comparable to Blake Griffin meaning his defense might always be a bit of a weakness.

I think his length is the same as Bagley.

 

[sactowndog]

And that might be an understatement. Memphis can't trade a first-rounder until 2023 (obviously they could swap #4 for #1 this year). And they have basically nothing of inherent value - Conley and Gasol have very large contracts and the rest is meh. I kinda think Dillon Brooks could carve out a little niche for himself in the league, but Brooks + #4 is NOT snagging #1.



This is probably the dead-on correct read.

Yes, if true, Memphis probably came to the same conclusion. Plus Porter could well fall to them.

Isn’t it nice being the team that gets to decide versus being the team hoping your guy falls. Far too often we have been Memphis.

 

[sactowndog]

Actually the competition in the HS is inferior to both NCAA and Euroligue. While I acknoledge MPJ is talented, what he didn't show is LBJ, KG or KB skills level. Shooting over players can make you NBA superstar (see Dirk from Germany), however you have to be elite shooter for that to happen. What we haven't seen is how it goes against more athletic, bigger, more mature players. Nobody said he can't be a good or even great player. Odds are just better for other prospects based on available information, at least from my perspective. Even without taking injury into account.

Except he is an elite shooter. Not sure what else he has got but the kid can shoot.

 

[JJ916]

Other than shooting, MPJ lacks everywhere else and in this video, his shooting isn’t the greatest. I’m skeptical with selecting a player this high when we only have highlights of him playing against inferior talent in high school.

 

[roasthawg]

I think his length is the same as Bagley.

Yeah it's an issue for both of them

 

[funkykingston]

Yeah it's an issue for both of them

The average height for NBA small forwards (weighted by minutes played) is 6'6.5" barefoot
The average wingspan is 6'11"
The average standing reach is 8'8"

Michael Porter Jr is 6'9.5" barefoot, has a 7'0.25" wingspan and a standing reach of 9'0.5"

Despite Kawhi Leonard having a freakish 7'3" wingspan relative to his 6'5.5" height, his standing reach is actually less than Porter's at 8'10". MPJ's standing reach is actually only 1.5" less than Durant's ridiculous 9'2" reach.

I'm not a fan of taking Porter Jr at #2 but his measurements are a plus for him, not a negative.

 

[sactowndog]

Other than shooting, MPJ lacks everywhere else and in this video, his shooting isn’t the greatest. I’m skeptical with selecting a player this high when we only have highlights of him playing against inferior talent in high school.

That was pretty much what all we had for the other elite high schoolers

 

[funkykingston]

Except he is an elite shooter. Not sure what else he has got but the kid can shoot.

I'm not sure that he is. In the few instances that Porter Jr was playing competitive/meaningful games with high level competition (an admittedly small sample size) his 3P% dropped significantly. In the McDonald's game for instance, he was named MVP but the vast majority of his points came in transition and off dunks.

Here's where I'm at with Porter. I love the IDEA of him as a player. 6'11" small forward and occasional stretch 4 with a silky smooth jumper, plus athleticism, an improving handle, and an alpha dog scorer's mentality? Yeah, that's exactly what the Kings need.

But then I watch tape of him and I just don't see a transcendent talent. Maybe I'm totally wrong. Maybe he's a star in waiting and will take the NBA by storm. But he just doesn't jump off the screen for me. And without seeing him be a high level scorer against NCAA competition and the concerns about his back, I just don't see why the Kings would take him at #2.

 

[sterö]

Other than shooting, MPJ lacks everywhere else and in this video, his shooting isn’t the greatest. I’m skeptical with selecting a player this high when we only have highlights of him playing against inferior talent in high school.

Of course, he is terrible. Lets trade our #2 pick for 2 second round picks. We can probably select Porter and Doncic then. So many posts on this forum have become ridiculous since we moved up in the lottery...

 

[ockingsfan]

It staggers me that people think that other front office of any team is swayed by the opinion of other front offices. Kings will pick the player they like the beat at 2 regaryof what other teams say.

It's really not what people think, it's what the front offices think.

And if you don't think the front offices leak Misinformation, then just look back to last year when Dallas put out so many tweets and pics professing their love for Frank Ntilikina (and the Knicks bit) and then the Mavs happily took Dennis Smith with a big wink and smile.

Another example from just last year, Boston, with the #1 pick was sending out signals that they wanted Markell Fultz at #1. They convinced everyone, and got Philly to trade their #3 and our 2019 1st for them to move up 2 spots and "nab" Fultz. All the while, Boston wanted Taytum and Fultz may had been there at 3 for Philly, if they didn't flinch.

It happens every year. There is no reason for "leaks" to be put out to the media, except to misdirect other front offices. Why would a front office want their competition to know who they really want, except to misdirect them elsewhere.

 

[Kingster]

If Kings cannot evaluate the prospects on their own and rely on other teams’ opinion, then we should really put a lock on the G1C, and just plain distinguish the franchise that is Sacrament Kings.

It staggers me that people think that front office of any team is swayed by the opinion of other front offices. Kings will pick the player they like the beat at 2 regaryof what other teams say.

It has been reported more than once that GMs have paid a lot of attention to what Jerry West has said about players.

 

[Ozymandias]

It has been reported more than once that GMs have paid a lot of attention to what Jerry West has said about players.

Jerry West wanted the Lakers to draft sidney moncreif over Magic! Alsoo Thabeet infront of Harden!

 

[roasthawg]

The average height for NBA small forwards (weighted by minutes played) is 6'6.5" barefoot
The average wingspan is 6'11"
The average standing reach is 8'8"

Michael Porter Jr is 6'9.5" barefoot, has a 7'0.25" wingspan and a standing reach of 9'0.5"

Despite Kawhi Leonard having a freakish 7'3" wingspan relative to his 6'5.5" height, his standing reach is actually less than Porter's at 8'10". MPJ's standing reach is actually only 1.5" less than Durant's ridiculous 9'2" reach.

I'm not a fan of taking Porter Jr at #2 but his measurements are a plus for him, not a negative.

I view them as a negative only from the vantage point of "can this guy become a superstar". The kd's, Giannis's, kawhi's, and ad's of the world are all freakishly long. It helps, especially on the defensive end. It's not necessarily a negative, just a box that didn't get checked as a potential indicator of future stardom.

 

[Ozymandias]

Of course, he is terrible. Lets trade our #2 pick for 2 second round picks. We can probably select Porter and Doncic then. So many posts on this forum have become ridiculous since we moved up in the lottery...

U are contributing to the rediculous posts by saying he's terrible...... That video is poorly edited

 

[sactowndog]

I view them as a negative only from the vantage point of "can this guy become a superstar". The kd's, Giannis's, kawhi's, and ad's of the world are all freakishly long. It helps, especially on the defensive end. It's not necessarily a negative, just a box that didn't get checked as a potential indicator of future stardom.

Okay he’s very long but not freakishly long.

 

[sactowndog]

U are contributing to the rediculous posts by saying he's terrible...... That video is poorly edited

He’s speaking tongue in cheek.

 

[JJ916]

Of course, he is terrible. Lets trade our #2 pick for 2 second round picks. We can probably select Porter and Doncic then. So many posts on this forum have become ridiculous since we moved up in the lottery...

No need to be overly dramatic. I was simply stating that for the 2nd pick in the draft, we need to make sure that he’s a winner. Having back issues and only having high school games to analyze is a very, very high risk for the second pick. I’d be completely ok with MPJ if the front office traded down a few spots to grab him along with other assets.

 

[206Fan]

It's really not what people think, it's what the front offices think.

And if you don't think the front offices leak Misinformation, then just look back to last year when Dallas put out so many tweets and pics professing their love for Frank Ntilikina (and the Knicks bit) and then the Mavs happily took Dennis Smith with a big wink and smile.

Another example from just last year, Boston, with the #1 pick was sending out signals that they wanted Markell Fultz at #1. They convinced everyone, and got Philly to trade their #3 and our 2019 1st for them to move up 2 spots and "nab" Fultz. All the while, Boston wanted Taytum and Fultz may had been there at 3 for Philly, if they didn't flinch.

It happens every year. There is no reason for "leaks" to be put out to the media, except to misdirect other front offices. Why would a front office want their competition to know who they really want, except to misdirect them elsewhere.

I think he meant the Mavs releasing info that they want MPJ has 0 impact on the Kings. It would be let out to scare teams behind them who love MPJ, but need to trade up for him. The Kings probably don't care what any teams picking behind them think. They will take their guy at #2. Who cares if the Mavs drool all over MPJ? Has no bearing on the Kings.

Dallas wanted Frank last year. Knicks just liked him more.

 

[ockingsfan]

I've been trying to find info on any other NBA player that had the same type of back surgery that MPJ did and the only one I could find was Dwight Howard.

Here is an article discussing Howard's issue and what happened because he rushed back to the court just 6 months after his back surgery.

https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/10/23/9587494/dwight-howard-back-injury

Granted, Howard is a lot older (26 or 27 years old when he had back surgery) and bigger than MPJ, but it scares me to think that sometimes the back injury can lead to other nagging injuries, if the back is not really 100%.

Is MPJ rushing back to get drafted high? If the Kings really took MPJ #2, would they need to do the same as what they did with Giles and put him on the shelf for a year to properly rehab his back?

I'm not a MPJ basher, I actually have him #3 on my big board (if he is really 100%), but this back injury is really scary to me.

 

[Ozymandias]

They didnt rush porter back for draft purposes, he sat for months while their were whispers he was ready to play.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

They didnt rush porter back for draft purposes, he sat for months while their were whispers he was ready to play.

Well, given that he looked pretty badly out of basketball shape when he did play, I'm not sure I put too much credence to those rumors. I suspect this may come down to the difference between "wanting to play" and "being ready to play".

 

[Ozymandias]

Well, given that he looked pretty badly out of basketball shape when he did play, I'm not sure I put too much credence to those rumors. I suspect this may come down to the difference between "wanting to play" and "being ready to play".

Too small a sample size to criticize/nitpick imo, ive seen him play alot tho, for the college fan it's a difficult call. Lets also not turn a blind eye to that he mightve grown an inch in this time too. He was listed at 6'9 almost everywhere not long ago, now he's a shade under 6'11

 

[kingsboi]

I've been trying to find info on any other NBA player that had the same type of back surgery that MPJ did and the only one I could find was Dwight Howard.

Here is an article discussing Howard's issue and what happened because he rushed back to the court just 6 months after his back surgery.

https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/10/23/9587494/dwight-howard-back-injury

Granted, Howard is a lot older (26 or 27 years old when he had back surgery) and bigger than MPJ, but it scares me to think that sometimes the back injury can lead to other nagging injuries, if the back is not really 100%.

Is MPJ rushing back to get drafted high? If the Kings really took MPJ #2, would they need to do the same as what they did with Giles and put him on the shelf for a year to properly rehab his back?

I'm not a MPJ basher, I actually have him #3 on my big board (if he is really 100%), but this back injury is really scary to me.

Howard also is a freak of nature and weight room menace so its not surprising he has come back same in the same shape as his Orlando days, we don't know what type of work ethic Porter has in him. Remains to be seen.

 

[funkykingston]

Too small a sample size to criticize/nitpick imo. Lets also not turn a blind eye to that he mightve grown an inch in this time too. He was listed at 6'9 almost everywhere not long ago, now he's a shade under 6'11

I disagree. Sure it was a small sample size if you try to translate his shooting or rebounding numbers but it looked really obvious that he wasn't in game shape and that was apparent pretty much immediately. Nevermind his shot not going in, he just lacked quickness and explosion.

 

[Ozymandias]

I disagree. Sure it was a small sample size if you try to translate his shooting or rebounding numbers but it looked really obvious that he wasn't in game shape and that was apparent pretty much immediately. Nevermind his shot not going in, he just lacked quickness and explosion.

So uh, what rammifications do you extrapolate from that sample size? Thats the part that eludes me. That he lacks explosion and quickness?

 

[funkykingston]

So uh, what rammifications do you extrapolate from that sample size? Thats the part that eludes me. That he lacks explosion and quickness?

You're making a really weird argument here. First you said that the rumors were that Porter was ready to play with but was choosing not to. Capt Factorial countered that he didn't believe those rumors because of how out of shape he appeared when he did play. And you responded to that by saying it was too small a sample size.

What exactly are you arguing?

Porter clearly looked out of shape.

The idea that he was choosing to sit while healthy seems dubious based on that fact, just as Capt said.

Are you trying to argue that he wasn't out of shape?

 

[Telemachus]

I've been trying to find info on any other NBA player that had the same type of back surgery that MPJ did and the only one I could find was Dwight Howard.

Here is an article discussing Howard's issue and what happened because he rushed back to the court just 6 months after his back surgery.

https://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/10/23/9587494/dwight-howard-back-injury

Granted, Howard is a lot older (26 or 27 years old when he had back surgery) and bigger than MPJ, but it scares me to think that sometimes the back injury can lead to other nagging injuries, if the back is not really 100%.

Is MPJ rushing back to get drafted high? If the Kings really took MPJ #2, would they need to do the same as what they did with Giles and put him on the shelf for a year to properly rehab his back?

I'm not a MPJ basher, I actually have him #3 on my big board (if he is really 100%), but this back injury is really scary to me.

I am pretty sure that both Vlade and Corliss Williamson had a similar surgery early in their careers.

 

[Ozymandias]

You're making a really weird argument here. First you said that the rumors were that Porter was ready to play with but was choosing not to. Capt Factorial countered that he didn't believe those rumors because of how out of shape he appeared when he did play. And you responded to that by saying it was too small a sample size.

What exactly are you arguing?

Porter clearly looked out of shape.

The idea that he was choosing to sit while healthy seems dubious based on that fact, just as Capt said.

Are you trying to argue that he wasn't out of shape?

I didn't say he was choosing not too..... Where did you read that?

I'm arguing your making a mountain out of a molehill. Of course he was out of shape.... What type of standards do you have? He's not allowed to be rusty after back surgery and an extended break ?

 

[Dime Dropper]

I didn't say he was choosing not too..... Where did you read that?

I'm arguing your making a mountain out of a molehill. Of course he was out of shape.... What type of standards do you have? He's not allowed to be rusty after back surgery and an extended break ?

You've moved the goalposts. That wasn't the original point.