i wouldn't be surprised if the kings select Porzingis in the draft
- Thread starter Big Cuz 15
- Start date
I started reviewing draft prospect lately and in my opinion, this kid could actually be useful for the current roster that we have. And I'm not even Latvian to say that. 
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
I've watched a ton of film on Porzingis trying to get a read on him. Unfortunately a lot of it is youtube film, but I've watched a couple of his games as well. Not enough to make a fair judgement, but I think I have a feel for him. One glaring weakness that stood out to me was his offensive ability in the post, or lack there of. He's a couple of years and about 25 pounds of muscle away from being even a decent post player. To be honest, he doesn't look like a PF to me at all. He looks and plays more like a SF, or even a SG. He is a good outside shooter. He shot over 40% from the three. He appears to have good lateral quicknes, so I can see a future as a defender, and even a weakside shotblocker at the PF position. But there is no way in hell he could guard any PF in the NBA man on man in the post. In one game I watched, he got backed down like he was on roller skates by players smaller than him.
One other disturbing thing, was that at times, it appeared that he had to use a half a second to think about what he was going to do. There was a hesitation in his movements. On one play, he was right in front of the basket, and he received a nice pass. All he had to do was go straight up and dunk the ball. But instead, he hesitated for just a tenth of a second, almost like he was surveying the situation. He still managed to go up and dunk, but it came close to getting blocked because of that hesitation. He might be a terrific athlete who has average reflexes. Don't know, but I saw him do it several times. Bottom line is, whatever he's going to be is going to take a couple of years. Maybe more. He could be worth the wait. Or not!.
One other disturbing thing, was that at times, it appeared that he had to use a half a second to think about what he was going to do. There was a hesitation in his movements. On one play, he was right in front of the basket, and he received a nice pass. All he had to do was go straight up and dunk the ball. But instead, he hesitated for just a tenth of a second, almost like he was surveying the situation. He still managed to go up and dunk, but it came close to getting blocked because of that hesitation. He might be a terrific athlete who has average reflexes. Don't know, but I saw him do it several times. Bottom line is, whatever he's going to be is going to take a couple of years. Maybe more. He could be worth the wait. Or not!.
I started reviewing draft prospect lately and in my opinion, this kid could actually be useful for the current roster that we have. And I'm not even Latvian to say that.
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
Hey are you interested in some clips of his? They're full game highlights of plays that focused on him. Not sure if they're on youtube because the last time I tried to look for them, there weren't any. It basically shows the plays that he was involved in. Defensive assignments and box outs. (Not sure if on this noe)
Ones like these:
http://sportacentrs.com/basketbols/eirokausi/29012015-porzingis_turpina_spelet_rezultativi_ieme
I remember I found about 5-6 of them.
Ones like these:
http://sportacentrs.com/basketbols/eirokausi/29012015-porzingis_turpina_spelet_rezultativi_ieme
I remember I found about 5-6 of them.
I( either saw that, or saw one very similar. I watched two complete games with him. There's no doubt that he's talented, and he's a good weak side defender. However, he has no post game to speak of. He scores in the post, but usually in transition, or alley oops, or on offensive put backs. And I'm not knocking that. That's how Cauley-Stein scores most of his points. He's a good shooter, and could be a better shooter if he took less forced shots. But when set, he's deadly. My question is, will he be able to add the needed muscle to become a solid PF in the league. As I said, he has more of a SF's game right now. The only thing that lends itself to his being a PF, is his height. This is one where you wish you had a crystal ball.
He can shoot, but he's not a good shooter yet.
With his build quality of post game is irrelevant.
His lack of strength not only diminish his ability to rebound, especially on defensive end, but also impedes his movement: secondary screening and bumps from wings and even some guards is a strong trend recently, and 'Staps will be slowed down by those for some time.
It's often hard to judge mobility, based on different clips.
Physically he goes rather high with a running start, but standing or with one step he's not really springy. Wonder, what his reach is.
a benchmark in former NBA SG (remember, Porzingis is still 19 though)
With his build quality of post game is irrelevant.
His lack of strength not only diminish his ability to rebound, especially on defensive end, but also impedes his movement: secondary screening and bumps from wings and even some guards is a strong trend recently, and 'Staps will be slowed down by those for some time.
It's often hard to judge mobility, based on different clips.
Physically he goes rather high with a running start, but standing or with one step he's not really springy. Wonder, what his reach is.
a benchmark in former NBA SG (remember, Porzingis is still 19 though)
I don't think I'd be surprised at anything this FO does. That said, I think people are sleeping on Hezonja, a multi-dimensional 6'8" guard who can shoot the 3, defend, pass, dribble, drive, who is very athletic, and has basketball IQ. To me, he has star potential. It makes no sense to take a role player over a guy who could develop into a star.
Hezonja doesn't have lateral quickness to defend SGs. Super-Mario is also not that quick going to the basket (handles are really good, though) and has no in-between game. I don't see, how he's more explosive offensively than, say, Gallinari. Granted Gallo without injury history might have been quite a player, but you never know. Then there's that attitude - he wants to play on the ball. Was it all just about getting better exposure for the draft, or he wants to be the center of attention? He's certainly not selfish, but was also asking for the ball all the time.
Elite role playing bigs with excellent tools, but rather limited skills, routinely get bigger contracts than second tier offensive stars, so in that sense aren't they harder to get?
Elite role playing bigs with excellent tools, but rather limited skills, routinely get bigger contracts than second tier offensive stars, so in that sense aren't they harder to get?
Hezonja is definitely not 6'8''. I know some sites list him at that, but I will eat my hat if he measures 6'8'', even in shoes. He's 6'7'' MAX in shoes. More likely around 6'6''. Which is still legit size for SG and enough that he may be able to play spot minutes at SF.
I like Hezonja btw, my write-up on him will be coming in the KF draft project thread. But I wouldn't take him given who'll be on the board, and given that we just took Ben and Nik.
I like Hezonja btw, my write-up on him will be coming in the KF draft project thread. But I wouldn't take him given who'll be on the board, and given that we just took Ben and Nik.
I started reviewing draft prospect lately and in my opinion, this kid could actually be useful for the current roster that we have. And I'm not even Latvian to say that.
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
I'm not sure I agree with this. Not saying that he'll be a stopper, but I'm going to wait and see before I say he can't guard SGs. His lateral quickness looks pretty decent to me. As far as the comparison to Gallo, I presume when you say explosive, that you mean Gallo is a better scorer. Because there is no way Gallo is more explosive in athletic terms.
Hezonja is explosive in the same sense Derrick Williams is - give him a running start, and just watch, how fast and high-flying he is. Good for basketball, impressive for those watching. But quickness, no-step jumping, agility and body control are much more important for playing basketball effectively, which Gallo does rather well. And, yes, I meant explosive scoring.
Hezonja knows very good, how to play defense, and despite simple mistakes here and there (he's still young after all) plays well within team concept, but when he's isolated against a speedy guard, Mario is always left behind.
Hezonja knows very good, how to play defense, and despite simple mistakes here and there (he's still young after all) plays well within team concept, but when he's isolated against a speedy guard, Mario is always left behind.
via https://twitter.com/VJL_bball
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted assists per 100 possessions:
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted FTA/FGA:
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted assists per 100 possessions:
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted FTA/FGA:
J
via https://twitter.com/VJL_bball
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted assists per 100 possessions:
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted FTA/FGA:
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted assists per 100 possessions:
Successful young (<= 20yo) European high post/stretch bigs sorted by competition-adjusted FTA/FGA:
I started reviewing draft prospect lately and in my opinion, this kid could actually be useful for the current roster that we have. And I'm not even Latvian to say that.
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
He got a really good length. And at 7'-1", he is very mobile and the perimeter shot is already in his arsenal (mid range and deep).
He doesn't have a low post though. But we already got DMC down there and Rudy can do it against shorter players as well.
His build and learning to curve to play good defense is probably what most folks see as low light for him. But after digging more videos of this kid, I think he plays defense like if Tayshaun Prince was 5-inch taller.
Tayshaun unlike Artest or Lebron is a skinny guy. But he knows how to recover when he gets bumped, knows how not to get bumped easily by keeping a distance and he knows how use his length to keep bothering his opponents and eventually get a steal or a block.
Why would he work well with our roster?
- He can stretch the floor with his good shooting. At 7'1", his shot will be hard to block from the perimeter once he gets consistent.
- Because he doesn't have any mature post move. He will be happy and effective in the perimeter while Cousins eats a lot of space down low.
- He got length for those put packs or long offensive rebound.
- He can be a quick weak side defender (i.e. when DMC plants himself down low against a driving, this kid can easily slide to block it from above)
- The kid is smart. He is Latvian but he seem fluent now in Spanish and English after playing mostly in Spain.
I won't be mad if we pick this kid at all. As long we get real perimeter defenders from free agency.
I've been back and forth with Porzingis. If the choice is between one of the top four guys and Porzingis, it'd be an easy pass for me. But if the choice is between Kristap or Winslow/Johnson/Kaminsky/etc, I will go with the tall guy from Latvia.
The bottom line is, this guys can do things that you can't teach. He is a seven-footer with athleticism who can shoot and block shots; those combination rarely screams bust. Worst case he turns into Yi Jianlian with better shot-blocking. That's still a useful rotation player. I think he is closer physically to Anthony Randolph, but Porzingis is taller and he is a better shooter and defender (compared to AR that is); so he is definitely going to turn out better than AR. Which means that worse case he still has a long NBA career fulfilling a niche as a guy who causes matchup problem for some teams with his size and shooting (the Channing Frye model). Best case he could be what the Kings need - a shot blocker who can spread the floor.
Speaking of Frye, I saw Porzingis do things (like the one-handed twisting the body alley-hoop dunk) that I never saw Frye do. I remember that Frye was somewhat mechanical in college, Porzingis is more fluid and agile at the same age. I am not saying Porzingis is can't-miss, and I think he will always be too weak for the position, but there is enough potential there to make him stand out among the non-blue chips.
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The bottom line is, this guys can do things that you can't teach. He is a seven-footer with athleticism who can shoot and block shots; those combination rarely screams bust. Worst case he turns into Yi Jianlian with better shot-blocking. That's still a useful rotation player. I think he is closer physically to Anthony Randolph, but Porzingis is taller and he is a better shooter and defender (compared to AR that is); so he is definitely going to turn out better than AR. Which means that worse case he still has a long NBA career fulfilling a niche as a guy who causes matchup problem for some teams with his size and shooting (the Channing Frye model). Best case he could be what the Kings need - a shot blocker who can spread the floor.
Speaking of Frye, I saw Porzingis do things (like the one-handed twisting the body alley-hoop dunk) that I never saw Frye do. I remember that Frye was somewhat mechanical in college, Porzingis is more fluid and agile at the same age. I am not saying Porzingis is can't-miss, and I think he will always be too weak for the position, but there is enough potential there to make him stand out among the non-blue chips.
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The is one good thing I really like about this kid is that he is a tall shooter with a quick release and it's rare to see a big man come out from a screen and shoot the ball the moment he turns and face the basket. And he hits that with consistency. And if he is really 7'1", I think that would be his bread and butter in the NBA.
The deal breaker for me on him is if he actually will measure at around 6'10".
That's the deal breaker for me on Winslow. That 6'4" without shoe just drop my hope on him.
The deal breaker for me on him is if he actually will measure at around 6'10".
That's the deal breaker for me on Winslow. That 6'4" without shoe just drop my hope on him.
Per 40 pace adjusted numbers from DX:
Ibaka - 2.4bl/4.0PFs
Biyombo - 5.2bl/4.6PFs
Nogueira - 3.3bl/5.4PFs
Gobert - 3.8bl/4.5PFs
Capela - 2.8bl/4.2PFs
Porzingis - 1.9bl/5.3PFs
The only guy averaging close number of PFs is Bebe and he can't get out of DLeague.
Kristaps is not a good 3pt shooter. He just can shoot threes: 30.2% last year and 31.6% this season in ACB on 4 attempts per 40.
In other words, would be great, if he went top5.
Ibaka - 2.4bl/4.0PFs
Biyombo - 5.2bl/4.6PFs
Nogueira - 3.3bl/5.4PFs
Gobert - 3.8bl/4.5PFs
Capela - 2.8bl/4.2PFs
Porzingis - 1.9bl/5.3PFs
The only guy averaging close number of PFs is Bebe and he can't get out of DLeague.
Kristaps is not a good 3pt shooter. He just can shoot threes: 30.2% last year and 31.6% this season in ACB on 4 attempts per 40.
In other words, would be great, if he went top5.
Porzingis is a good rim protector. He's a good weak side shotblocker and he'll just have to get his timing correct. He will be a good shotblocker in the NBA even though his stats aren't eye popping.
He also shot the 3pt at .369% for 14-15 season.(21minutes 2.63fga per game).
There's a lot of things he should get knocked down for, but I'm not sure shotblocking and shooting are one of them.
Rim protection will easily translate into the NBA because of his length and anticipation. His shooting is on point.
I really like him as a prospect, but I don't think we will draft him because he's raw. Unless Vlade sees something we're not seeing and believe Porzinigs can contribute 20mins a night to our championship team next year, I don't think we're drafting him.