The case for Kristaps Porzingis

[cedric76]

Lol
). But Porzingis said something on Wednesday that should make any team considering him at least a little bit uncomfortable, via ESPN’s Andy Katz:

Kris Porzingis says NYK is best organization in NBA. Also can handle spotlight in NY. Did pro day in LV, visited NY:pic.twitter.com/VUqY3InNex

— Andy Katz (@ESPNAndyKatz) June 24, 2015

He's definitely trolling..........................right?

i think he meant sacramento

[UCFJayBird]

Probably more like KP has never been in front of so many cameras and was asked what he thought about possibly playing for NYK and went a little overboard in his praise, lol.

[TreasureCoast]

It took awhile but Im finally on board. We should roll the dice and take Kris if he is there at 5. I just got a felling he wont be there

Strange time to get on board, he just had a horrible workout with the Knicks

Obviously this is an incorrect statement. You see how people spew bull to push an agenda?

I take back the horrible workout part, what was meant was that the peak of his hype was his pro day workout, that would have been the time to get on board with Porzingis not a week later after he had some minor issues.
I don't know what agenda you are talking about I have my concerns with all these prospects, I have posted this week several times I am expecting and on board with any of Winslow, Hezonja, WCS, and Porzingis, pretty much whoever gets Henny's stamp of approval I am down with. It looks like you have a non basketball related agenda.

[Side beard]

Probably more like KP has never been in front of so many cameras and was asked what he thought about possibly playing for NYK and went a little overboard in his praise, lol.

I am sure he will say something really stupid sooner or later. Everything started with that dumb TMZ interview.

[doct3r dr3]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjZnIE-V0KY[/youtube]


After watching this, I can't believe how many of you want to pair this guy next to Vucevic.

Yes, of course you could make an anti-highlight reel of any player getting beat on defense. But it's so clear to see from this that this guy fundamentally lacks the reaction speed, lateral quickness, and strength to ever be an even average interior or perimeter defender in the NBA. He's utterly hopeless to recover from any sort of misdirection, and lacks the lower body strength to provide any sort of resistance. The book on him will just be to get him up in the air on a pumpfake, or change directions on him.

Even his potential as a weakside shotblocker is dubious, if he's that easy to fool with a slight pumpfake.

[spinedoc]

It is about clear as day but people fantasize about the next Dirk so much in their daydreams that it clouds their judgement. I doubt he makes the top 5 picks as GM's are hyping players so others will fall or work deals in trades. This isn't NBA 2k16

No doubt. Its going to take about two years just to get his weight up to where it needs to be. He is not this big time rim protector everyone keeps talking about either. He is a major project that could be as high as Dirk, or more likely could easily be another Darko.

What he is already at 230, at most I think he should be in the 240 range but that should take no two years to achieve especially with a NBA level training program. He is a fantastic weak side shot blocker which is something we need, a guy who will come over and clean up when guys get beat. He is more Pau Gasol at his current stage than anything else, will he end up similar to Pau probably not but he is on a solid path right now.

He doesn't just need 10 pounds anywhere, he needs muscle everywhere. It will take a couple of years to get him up to snuff. Right now he's alien thin, dude looks like an extra from close encounters of the third kind. He will get abused on the blocks by even non traditional fours. Him paired with Vooch is going to be like Charmin, white and very soft. The only thing going in his favor is his ability to shoot over people. We keep chasing the unicorn that is the stretch four, ugh.

[UCFJayBird]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjZnIE-V0KY[/youtube]


After watching this, I can't believe how many of you want to pair this guy next to Vucevic.

Yes, of course you could make an anti-highlight reel of any player getting beat on defense. But it's so clear to see from this that this guy fundamentally lacks the reaction speed, lateral quickness, and strength to ever be an even average interior or perimeter defender in the NBA. He's utterly hopeless to recover from any sort of misdirection, and lacks the lower body strength to provide any sort of resistance. The book on him will just be to get him up in the air on a pumpfake, or change directions on him.

Even his potential as a weakside shotblocker is dubious, if he's that easy to fool with a slight pumpfake.

Stopped watching after 3 1/2 minutes. Yea he's got issues. Namely he falls for the pump fake way too easy, he's not great at closing out (probably because he doesn't know how to read a pump fake correctly), and he gets pushed out of the way because he's too light/weak.

Not worried about any of those things. A lot of those "lowlights" were things I see every single game from just about every player on the court, especially the younger players. And a lot of those lowlights criticized him for things like the player getting by him but then that player is in a bad position and has to pass anyway (and not necessarily because of KPs teammates).

He's a young guy who hasn't even fully grown into his body yet. Saw no problems with his mobility really (though he was flat footed at times). He's playing against seasoned pros. *shrugs* You even said yourself it's incredibly easy to make something like that for every player. Heck I could make Oladipo and Payton look like terrible defenders too.

[UCFJayBird]

No doubt. Its going to take about two years just to get his weight up to where it needs to be. He is not this big time rim protector everyone keeps talking about either. He is a major project that could be as high as Dirk, or more likely could easily be another Darko.

What he is already at 230, at most I think he should be in the 240 range but that should take no two years to achieve especially with a NBA level training program. He is a fantastic weak side shot blocker which is something we need, a guy who will come over and clean up when guys get beat. He is more Pau Gasol at his current stage than anything else, will he end up similar to Pau probably not but he is on a solid path right now.

He doesn't just need 10 pounds anywhere, he needs muscle everywhere. It will take a couple of years to get him up to snuff. Right now he's alien thin, dude looks like an extra from close encounters of the third kind. He will get abused on the blocks by even non traditional fours. Him paired with Vooch is going to be like Charmin, white and very soft. The only thing going in his favor is his ability to shoot over people. We keep chasing the unicorn that is the stretch four, ugh.

Pau Gasol is about 250 lbs. If he can get there then he'll be fine. And if anyone is expecting more than 15 mpg out of him this season they're dreaming, and if they're expecting more than 24 mpg his second season they're dreaming. But by season 3 i'd expect he'll be starter ready. Everyone knows this guy is a project. And usually i'm very anti-stretch 4. I like a traditional lineup. But I think KP has the athleticism to be a good weakside defender and a stretch 4, which is pretty rare. He's no Frye.

[doct3r dr3]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjZnIE-V0KY[/youtube]


After watching this, I can't believe how many of you want to pair this guy next to Vucevic.

Yes, of course you could make an anti-highlight reel of any player getting beat on defense. But it's so clear to see from this that this guy fundamentally lacks the reaction speed, lateral quickness, and strength to ever be an even average interior or perimeter defender in the NBA. He's utterly hopeless to recover from any sort of misdirection, and lacks the lower body strength to provide any sort of resistance. The book on him will just be to get him up in the air on a pumpfake, or change directions on him.

Even his potential as a weakside shotblocker is dubious, if he's that easy to fool with a slight pumpfake.

Stopped watching after 3 1/2 minutes. Yea he's got issues. Namely he falls for the pump fake way too easy, he's not great at closing out (probably because he doesn't know how to read a pump fake correctly), and he gets pushed out of the way because he's too light/weak.

Not worried about any of those things. A lot of those "lowlights" were things I see every single game from just about every player on the court, especially the younger players. And a lot of those lowlights criticized him for things like the player getting by him but then that player is in a bad position and has to pass anyway (and not necessarily because of KPs teammates).

He's a young guy who hasn't even fully grown into his body yet. Saw no problems with his mobility really (though he was flat footed at times). He's playing against seasoned pros. *shrugs* You even said yourself it's incredibly easy to make something like that for every player. Heck I could make Oladipo and Payton look like terrible defenders too.

I would agree that some of the low-lights in this video are unfair to Kristaps, especially towards the beginning. The "poor contests" weren't that egregious to me. But when you keep watching, what you see is a guy fundamentally incapable of hedging and recovering on a pick & roll.

That is to say nothing about his defensive positioning and instincts, like failing to get down in a defensive stance or biting on pump-fakes; or his lower body strength, which are both at least theoretically fixable. (I have my doubts, as he appears to have high hips that will make it hard for him to ever develop a strong base, but we'll see).

But when you fundamentally lack lateral quickness and the ability to change directions, these traits are not significantly improvable. And these are the very athletic tools that are perhaps most important for defending the NBA's increasingly ubiquitous high pick & roll.

[Landshark]

Found this posted on /r/nba: http://streamable.com/rf3i

[spinedoc]

What he is already at 230, at most I think he should be in the 240 range but that should take no two years to achieve especially with a NBA level training program. He is a fantastic weak side shot blocker which is something we need, a guy who will come over and clean up when guys get beat. He is more Pau Gasol at his current stage than anything else, will he end up similar to Pau probably not but he is on a solid path right now.

He doesn't just need 10 pounds anywhere, he needs muscle everywhere. It will take a couple of years to get him up to snuff. Right now he's alien thin, dude looks like an extra from close encounters of the third kind. He will get abused on the blocks by even non traditional fours. Him paired with Vooch is going to be like Charmin, white and very soft. The only thing going in his favor is his ability to shoot over people. We keep chasing the unicorn that is the stretch four, ugh.

Pau Gasol is about 250 lbs. If he can get there then he'll be fine. And if anyone is expecting more than 15 mpg out of him this season they're dreaming, and if they're expecting more than 24 mpg his second season they're dreaming. But by season 3 i'd expect he'll be starter ready. Everyone knows this guy is a project. And usually i'm very anti-stretch 4. I like a traditional lineup. But I think KP has the athleticism to be a good weakside defender and a stretch 4, which is pretty rare. He's no Frye.

KP is 7-1 though, which means he needs to be even heavier. I'm skeptical about the 230 number as well. I'm sure I heard a report recently that he was more like 220. But, you don't have to look at the numbers, look at the body and mobility. I get the fact that its a 7-1 guy with a pretty shooting stroke. Its kind of like watching a dog on a surfboard, its unique and gets your attention, but he's going to get blown out on the block by practically everyone. Honestly, I'd rather have Turner or WCS, especially paired with someone like Vooch. If we got Deandre Jordan or Boogie, then alright, lets try your experiment, but it currently adds to the weakness of this team.

[UCFJayBird]

He doesn't just need 10 pounds anywhere, he needs muscle everywhere. It will take a couple of years to get him up to snuff. Right now he's alien thin, dude looks like an extra from close encounters of the third kind. He will get abused on the blocks by even non traditional fours. Him paired with Vooch is going to be like Charmin, white and very soft. The only thing going in his favor is his ability to shoot over people. We keep chasing the unicorn that is the stretch four, ugh.

Pau Gasol is about 250 lbs. If he can get there then he'll be fine. And if anyone is expecting more than 15 mpg out of him this season they're dreaming, and if they're expecting more than 24 mpg his second season they're dreaming. But by season 3 i'd expect he'll be starter ready. Everyone knows this guy is a project. And usually i'm very anti-stretch 4. I like a traditional lineup. But I think KP has the athleticism to be a good weakside defender and a stretch 4, which is pretty rare. He's no Frye.

KP is 7-1 though, which means he needs to be even heavier. I'm skeptical about the 230 number as well. I'm sure I heard a report recently that he was more like 220. But, you don't have to look at the numbers, look at the body and mobility. I get the fact that its a 7-1 guy with a pretty shooting stroke. Its kind of like watching a dog on a surfboard, its unique and gets your attention, but he's going to get blown out on the block by practically everyone. Honestly, I'd rather have Turner or WCS, especially paired with someone like Vooch. If we got Deandre Jordan or Boogie, then alright, lets try your experiment, but it currently adds to the weakness of this team.

Pau is 7'0. Dirk is 7'0, 245 lbs. An extra inch could be an extra 5-10 lbs, maybe. From what I've read he was 220, but has put on weight recently to 230. I remember Dwight coming out of high school and we all thought he was a rail. He got in the gym for one summer in an NBA regiment and bulked up massively. By his 3rd year he was a beast. I'm not saying Kris will do the same, but I think 250 isn't unrealistic by his 2nd or 3rd season.

I think the biggest difference is that in Europe he's not expected to put on the weight. Once he gets stateside, he'll have an NBA regiment. So long as he is committed to it I think he can put on the necessary weight in muscle.

[Rick Rolled]

This was posted in the speculation thread courtesy of L3BJsIx.

5. Orlando Magic – Justise Winslow (SF, Duke, Fr., 19, 6-7, 222): Kristaps Porzingis' lackluster workout in Orlando this past week hurt his chances somewhat, and there is no real consensus at this point about who the Magic's next most likely option might be. The Magic could look to upgrade on the wing, where they don't have a great deal of depth. Winslow would fit in extremely well with what Orlando is trying to build from a character and defensive standpoint, along with playing a position of significant need.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/2015-nba-mock-draft--take-6-070613285.html

[Blue_and_Whte]

This was posted in the speculation thread courtesy of L3BJsIx.

5. Orlando Magic – Justise Winslow (SF, Duke, Fr., 19, 6-7, 222): Kristaps Porzingis' lackluster workout in Orlando this past week hurt his chances somewhat, and there is no real consensus at this point about who the Magic's next most likely option might be. The Magic could look to upgrade on the wing, where they don't have a great deal of depth. Winslow would fit in extremely well with what Orlando is trying to build from a character and defensive standpoint, along with playing a position of significant need.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/2015-nba-mock-draft--take-6-070613285.html

I don't think one lackluster workout would influence their big picture perspective. Winslow had, what many consider, a lackluster workout in Denver but he's a good pick at 5? Also, what position of need does he exactly fill in Orlando? Back up 3? I like Winslow, just trying to make sense of this article and the writers angle. Wasn't Exum the 5th pick, and has turned into a very good defensive player? I know he's proved me wrong in certain aspects.
[url]
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2403167-why-dante-exum-is-the-nbas-defensive-rookie-of-the-year[/url]

[Optimus_Steel]

This was posted in the speculation thread courtesy of L3BJsIx.

5. Orlando Magic – Justise Winslow (SF, Duke, Fr., 19, 6-7, 222): Kristaps Porzingis' lackluster workout in Orlando this past week hurt his chances somewhat, and there is no real consensus at this point about who the Magic's next most likely option might be. The Magic could look to upgrade on the wing, where they don't have a great deal of depth. Winslow would fit in extremely well with what Orlando is trying to build from a character and defensive standpoint, along with playing a position of significant need.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/2015-nba-mock-draft--take-6-070613285.html

Who knows what to believe. They said he didn't work out last week, now this person says lackluster workout lol. Lots of smokescreens. We don't really know what is going on and neither do they lol.

[Blue_and_Whte]

This was posted in the speculation thread courtesy of L3BJsIx.

5. Orlando Magic – Justise Winslow (SF, Duke, Fr., 19, 6-7, 222): Kristaps Porzingis' lackluster workout in Orlando this past week hurt his chances somewhat, and there is no real consensus at this point about who the Magic's next most likely option might be. The Magic could look to upgrade on the wing, where they don't have a great deal of depth. Winslow would fit in extremely well with what Orlando is trying to build from a character and defensive standpoint, along with playing a position of significant need.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/2015-nba-mock-draft--take-6-070613285.html

Who knows what to believe. They said he didn't work out last week, now this person says lackluster workout lol. Lots of smokescreens. We don't really know what is going on and neither do they lol.

Exactly. Especially the fact that Winslow had a bad workout in Denver but in the same article says Winslow is worthy of the pick AND that he fills a need. Winslow is going to be our shot blocking stretch 4? Doesn't make any sense.

[UCFJayBird]

This was posted in the speculation thread courtesy of L3BJsIx.

5. Orlando Magic – Justise Winslow (SF, Duke, Fr., 19, 6-7, 222): Kristaps Porzingis' lackluster workout in Orlando this past week hurt his chances somewhat, and there is no real consensus at this point about who the Magic's next most likely option might be. The Magic could look to upgrade on the wing, where they don't have a great deal of depth. Winslow would fit in extremely well with what Orlando is trying to build from a character and defensive standpoint, along with playing a position of significant need.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/2015-nba-mock-draft--take-6-070613285.html

Who knows what to believe. They said he didn't work out last week, now this person says lackluster workout lol. Lots of smokescreens. We don't really know what is going on and neither do they lol.

Do you think maybe he meant a lackluster workout in NYK where he got cramps? Might just be a typo.

[Magic_Johnny12]

For some odd reason I feel like KP and Russell drops.

Towns
Okafor
Mudiay
Winslow
Hezonja
KP
Russell

I know call me crazy but I am not buying this Russell hype, reminds me wayyyyy too much of Evan Turner.

[OrlandoNed]

For some odd reason I feel like KP and Russell drops.

Towns
Okafor
Mudiay
Winslow
Hezonja
KP
Russell

I know call me crazy but I am not buying this Russell hype, reminds me wayyyyy too much of Evan Turner.

I'll say it. You're crazy.

[Furinkazan]

Found this posted on /r/nba: http://streamable.com/rf3i