Michael Porter Jr.

[yoyoboy]

He's so rigid... I'm really not too impressed with him.

[Duke4life831]

I continue to go back and forth with him. I see the size, straight line athleticism and form on his jumper and I can see why people think he screams future stud. Some days I side that way as well. But then when I watch him I start getting Harrison Barnes 2.0 vibes. Barnes was a freak in high school just like Porter is but Barnes had 2 major flaws in his game. He was a great straight line athlete but agility wise and lateral quickness wasnt a strength and he had very basic handles. The second he got into college it became pretty apparent that he was never going to be a guy that could create his shot on an elite level. And to me Barnes had a better handle and was a little more agile laterally than Porter is and his jumper was far more consistent. I think he puts up better stats compared to a freshman Barnes, but Barnes was on a stacked UNC team that actually plays a true offensive system. Im sure Mizz is just going to run everything through Porter. So if you tell me he ends up as a worse pro than Barnes that wouldnt shock me at all.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Tatum still went 3 as a player with athletic limitations and Porter is likely to put up better numbers.

[Duke4life831]

Tatum still went 3 as a player with athletic limitations and Porter is likely to put up better numbers.

Skill wise though they arent even close to similar players though.

[reanimator]

Not sure what Harrison Barnes was as a rebounder or finisher on the AAU circuit, but MPJ projects to be a better rebounder and finisher than UNC Harrison Barnes.

[ItsThatEasy]

I continue to go back and forth with him. I see the size, straight line athleticism and form on his jumper and I can see why people think he screams future stud. Some days I side that way as well. But then when I watch him I start getting Harrison Barnes 2.0 vibes. Barnes was a freak in high school just like Porter is but Barnes had 2 major flaws in his game. He was a great straight line athlete but agility wise and lateral quickness wasnt a strength and he had very basic handles. The second he got into college it became pretty apparent that he was never going to be a guy that could create his shot on an elite level. And to me Barnes had a better handle and was a little more agile laterally than Porter is and his jumper was far more consistent. I think he puts up better stats compared to a freshman Barnes, but Barnes was on a stacked UNC team that actually plays a true offensive system. Im sure Mizz is just going to run everything through Porter. So if you tell me he ends up as a worse pro than Barnes that wouldnt shock me at all.

What could save him is his height. Barnes is really about 6'7 and a half. Porter could be a legit 6'11 by the time he's drafted, even if he doesn't grow he's still a solid 6'10. With that size he could be far more effective at the 4 than Barnes is.

[Marcus]

Tatum still went 3 as a player with athletic limitations and Porter is likely to put up better numbers.

Skill wise though they arent even close to similar players though.

yeah that's a night and day comp there. Tatum has the best footwork for his age since Mamba or Melo.

[Duke4life831]

Not sure what Harrison Barnes was as a rebounder or finisher on the AAU circuit, but MPJ projects to be a better rebounder and finisher than UNC Harrison Barnes.

I agree that hes a better rebounder than Barnes but I dont see him as a better finisher than Barnes was in high school or college. Barnes was a tremendous finisher in college. Barnes his 2nd year at UNC shot 73% at the rim. I cant find his exact percentage at the rim his freshman year but he did have a higher shooting % shooting 2s his freshman year than his soph year so I dont think it was any worse than his shooting % his 2nd year. Most elite wing prospects (Wiggins, Ingram, Tatum, Jackson) shoot in the 60s at the rim.

Barnes was an elite shooter and finisher as a prospect. His big question mark that came pretty apparent when he got to college was yes he was a tremendous straight line athlete, but he was very stiff and didnt have great lateral agility and a lack of handles. Add those two things together and you saw an inconsistency of creating his own shot. Porter Jr has the exact same question marks about him. I can see the hype for him but I can also see him being a 2 inch taller version of Barnes that plays worse defense.

[reanimator]

I agree that hes a better rebounder than Barnes but I dont see him as a better finisher than Barnes was in high school or college. Barnes was a tremendous finisher in college. Barnes his 2nd year at UNC shot 73% at the rim. I cant find his exact percentage at the rim his freshman year but he did have a higher shooting % shooting 2s his freshman year than his soph year so I dont think it was any worse than his shooting % his 2nd year. Most elite wing prospects (Wiggins, Ingram, Tatum, Jackson) shoot in the 60s at the rim.

Have to keep in mind Wiggins, Ingram, Tatum, Jackson, etc took a far larger volume of their shots at the rim than Barnes.

Isolate finishing to the half court and I'm sure Barnes numbers drop dramatically which is abysmal when you keep in mind the low % of shot he took at the rim to begin with.

Now it is fair to question whether MJP can get to the rim much like Barnes but he projects as a FAR better rebounder, free throw shooter with more positional size. If he does manage to finish better then we are absolutely talking about a superior prospect. Need to see more before I comment on his D.

[bulliedog8]

Highlights from his scrimmage against kansas
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=21121566

Watch on YouTube

[Kolkmania]

I continue to go back and forth with him. I see the size, straight line athleticism and form on his jumper and I can see why people think he screams future stud. Some days I side that way as well. But then when I watch him I start getting Harrison Barnes 2.0 vibes. Barnes was a freak in high school just like Porter is but Barnes had 2 major flaws in his game. He was a great straight line athlete but agility wise and lateral quickness wasnt a strength and he had very basic handles. The second he got into college it became pretty apparent that he was never going to be a guy that could create his shot on an elite level. And to me Barnes had a better handle and was a little more agile laterally than Porter is and his jumper was far more consistent. I think he puts up better stats compared to a freshman Barnes, but Barnes was on a stacked UNC team that actually plays a true offensive system. Im sure Mizz is just going to run everything through Porter. So if you tell me he ends up as a worse pro than Barnes that wouldnt shock me at all.

So do I. He looks stiff to me at times, but when I watch Durant footage from high school and college he wasn't an extraordinary athlete and his handles weren't that advanced either. Being 6'10'' and able to shoot off the dribble and off screens is unfair and will open up so many options, because bigs have to step up if he can simply shoot over small guys. And I must say that his shot mechanics are incredibly compact and mechanically sound, so if his shooting is elite then I can see him becoming an offensive stud.

He's a poor playmaker at the moment. Tunnel vision at times, not really capable of running P&R at this point, sloppy ball handling, etc. But the kid is 19 year old as well, those things can improve.

[KobesScarf]

I don't know what it is but the amount of hate for Porter on here is crazy. He's about as sure a 25+ ppg NBA All Star as you will ever find and should easily be the #1 pick at this point.

[juanc]

I don't know what it is but the amount of hate for Porter on here is crazy. He's about as sure a 25+ ppg NBA All Star as you will ever find and should easily be the #1 pick at this point.

So you are telling us that he is the next KD? I don't realy think that this is possible.. He will be good, but not that good..

[KobesScarf]

I don't know what it is but the amount of hate for Porter on here is crazy. He's about as sure a 25+ ppg NBA All Star as you will ever find and should easily be the #1 pick at this point.

So you are telling us that he is the next KD? I don't realy think that this is possible.. He will be good, but not that good..

He is better than KD was at the same stage. The jumper is right there with KD and he's a better ball handler and bigger and stronger than KD was. Now that doesn't mean he'll end up as good as KD fully developed that depends on the intangibles and his team situation.

[Catchall]

Porter's skill level and body control are very advanced for a 6'10" player, much more advanced than Bagley at this stage. To me, Porter looks like a sure-fire All Star with almost zero bust potential. He could have entered the league this year, right out of high school, and he'd be a top-5 rookie in this class.

As an athlete, he's not a guy who runs hard with a low center of gravity, and he's not a guy that makes hard cuts, but he's a really fluid and gifted vertical athlete who will play above the rim effortlessly. He moves very naturally and is almost the perfect basketball player for the modern PF role.

[peZt]

I don't know what it is but the amount of hate for Porter on here is crazy. He's about as sure a 25+ ppg NBA All Star as you will ever find and should easily be the #1 pick at this point.

So you are telling us that he is the next KD? I don't realy think that this is possible.. He will be good, but not that good..

He is better than KD was at the same stage. The jumper is right there with KD and he's a better ball handler and bigger and stronger than KD was. Now that doesn't mean he'll end up as good as KD fully developed that depends on the intangibles and his team situation.

Come on dude, KD was a year younger when he entered college and became arguably the greatest freshman of all time. Basically you're telling us that Porter rn is better than rookie Durant (same age). That's a ridiculious claim.

[KobesScarf]

So you are telling us that he is the next KD? I don't realy think that this is possible.. He will be good, but not that good..

He is better than KD was at the same stage. The jumper is right there with KD and he's a better ball handler and bigger and stronger than KD was. Now that doesn't mean he'll end up as good as KD fully developed that depends on the intangibles and his team situation.

Come on dude, KD was a year younger when he entered college and became arguably the greatest freshman of all time. Basically you're telling us that Porter rn is better than rookie Durant (same age). That's a ridiculious claim.

I didn't say same age. Both entering college MPJ is better.

[thr3ep01nte4]

How much is he gonna be better than Gordon Hayward?

[Upperclass]

KD was much more fluid and agile at that age. Porter moves like current Lamarcus Aldridge. KD also always played with tenacity on both ends.. even when he was a poor defender. Porter literally only shows interest in isoing

[thamadkant]

He reminds me of Richard Jefferson offensively anyways... I dont see the KD comparison.. KD was a freak physically and athletically.