Kristaps Porzingis Works Out Privately For Lakers

[RealGM Wiretap]

Kristaps Porzingis worked out privately for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Porzingis had an impressive open workout on Friday in Las Vegas.

Porzingis is pursuing the Lakers’ pick at No. 2, along with D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor.

“The biggest thing for me – the thing that I think most about – is that you can get into the gym whenever you want here,” Porzingis told Yahoo Sports over dinner recently. “They give you a card, or a key, and in the middle of the night, if you want to work out, you just go to the gym and get your work in – and I think that’s amazing.

“In Europe, you don’t have that option. You can’t get your work in on a Sunday, because nobody is there. I think that’s one of the coolest things. This year, I didn’t have a place to play. I’ve got to talk to the GM, to talk one of the people who work in the arena to open the door for me. People don’t want to do extra work at the arena.”

Kevin Garnett: “I love his face-up game. He’s got that mid-range shot. I’ve seen a lot of tape where he plays against guys like Shaq [O’Neal], a guy he can’t bang inside with. So faces up, does his little step-back move … Amazing.”

 

One former NBA Executive of the Year, who won’t have the chance to move up to get him, told Yahoo Sports. “If the draft was one year from now, I think Porzingis goes No. 1. He’s just not fully formed yet and that’s getting in the way of people’s decisions. But one more year, and I think it would be him and then [Karl-Anthony Towns, Russell and Okafor].”

 

Via Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

[Tiesto_Lakers]

Sure he can shoot the mid-range in an open gym workout, but can he actually bang inside with the big boys and defend on the other end?

[bgrep14]

No way the Lakers pass on Towns or Okafor.

[DEEP3CL]

Physically he's not there yet and won't be for a long time, his body is too under developed. He lacks fight to bang in the interior for defensive or offensive rebounds, offensively he can be pushed off his post quite a bit. It's gonna be more than a year as the unnamed GM stated, probably looking at 3 if he's willing to put in work.

But I don't want the Lakers drafting this kid...too much of a project right now, Towns and Okafor can produce more now.

[DEEP3CL]

I wrote a recent mock draft, and article as well, where I mention why the Lakers should take Porzingis. Check it out at my blog/website: theabcsofbasketball.wordpress.com

Your draft order will end up nothing like that in reality. The Lakers don't have time for "calculated risk", they have to take a guy they know can eventually lead the franchise into the next decade. People need to stop getting too excited on seeing one on none workouts. Looking at his scouting footage, there was a lot that I didn't like seeing.

You can't put him next to Randle when Julius as it is, is taking a beating in the public perception about his rebounding and defense. And now you want to put a flag pole next to him who DOESN'T fight for rebounds and doesn't show a propensity for it. The thing about being a big and rebounding is it has to already be in your DNA to work while the ball is coming off the rim. From the footage I've seen he's soft in that area.

And when the kid said, " I can block shot"....I'm like duh so can every other 7 footer when the ball is right in his area or coming from the weak side. He doesn't have that dog in him to be a killer shot blocker from what I see.

You can bank on this kid going in the mid teens, can't see any of the top 6 drafting teams wasting their valuable pick on him.

Not saying he won't ever become a dynamic player, but if he does then so be it and that's how the teams above 10 spots have to see that. I happens all the time with picks.

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Dirk Nowitzki for Robert "Tractor" Taylor on draft night with Dallas, look how that turned out ?

[Biased_Fan6425]

Dont do it Mitch!

[coopnyc74]

Please do it Mitch!

[H00PDREAMS]

Wait... Wait! Does that mean that he actually worked out against KG?!! He actually worked out against Shaq? I thought the prospects were working out with the Assistants only. I had the impression only Madsen was working the big men out.

Still... I hope the Lakers pass on this guy. Just too much risk! The Lakers just cant afford to do this move.

[DEEP3CL]

I know that some of my picks might not end up happening but it's what I personally believe would be the best direction.

That fair, but weather guys like it or not this draft will make teams draft for need rather than the ole cliche of taking the best player.

Also, as much as Porzingis is underexposed and you fear that he may not be ready for the NBA, seeing a player like Okafor for so long and so often helps saturate one's interpretation of a player with an idealic perspective.

Well one thing is ceratin Porzingis isn't NBA ready....far from it. Also no matter how long people watched Okafor, he's much more of a safe pick regardless of his flaws. He's more NBA ready than Progy.

A big man who rarely shoots 50% from the FT line is a huge problem, especially in an NBA now where positionless basketball is become the key to success.

Jahlil himself said his problems are more mental, he has a way better stroke than Jordan and it's the same stroke he uses in shooting his midrange jumper. People are over exaggerating almost everything with Okafor, which is quite comical now. And I've watched ball for over 3 decades, this whole narrative on bigs being near useless is asinine. You do realize that this started because bigs today are less skill offensively and you can't design offenses around them. Okafor would be the exact opposite. He has great hands, impeccable footwork, can use either hand on the block...you can pound the ball to him almost every possession if you wanted to.

People harping on his free throws and defense apparently haven't watched ball for any length of time. Several players have come into the league with putrid free throwing skill, if you work on it you can improve it. Same for defense, I wonder if people even realized that in high school the only defense Oakfor played was zone. So that tells me even his high school coaches didn't teach pick and roll defense, and by the time he got to Duke all this was new to him. But defense is more about effort, and if he's willing to exert effort he'll pick things up on the pro level.

30 something college games isn't going to improve his overall defense I don't care who it is.