Scouting Report: Kristaps Porzingis

‘Kristaps Porzingis is a power forward/center for Baloncesto Sevilla. Porzingis is 7’1 with a wingspan of over seven feet. No official wingspan is listed. For the year, Porzingis averaged 21.0 minutes per game, 11.6 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 0.8 assists per game, 1.2 blocks per game, 0.9 steals per game, while shooting 55.6% from the field, and 45.9% from three.

Pros:

• Great combination of size, speed, and athleticism
• Good body control
• Good ball handling for a man his size
• Great in transition offence
• Good shooter, with excellent range
• Confident shooter
• Length and speed to be defensive force
• Good lateral movement
• Good footwork

Cons:

• Must add weight to his frame
• Needs to attack the rim more often
• No inside game
• Gets bullied down low due to lack of strength
• Must improve rebounding skills

Overall:

Kristaps Porzingis is another foreign prospect that most scouts have become enamored with. Porzingis combines elite height, with terrific speed, athleticism, and shooting ability. Porzingis has the mentality that he is a wing player stuck in a center’s body. He is very skinny and this has caused him to avoid a low-post offense leaving for him to solely rely on his jumper. Although this is concerning, Porzingis is devastating from mid-range and three point range where he uses his size and athleticism to create separation allowing for clear, open shots. Once drafted the key to making Porzingis successful is adding strength to his frame. At the NBA level a person his size needs to be able to battle down low without getting bullied like he currently does. His rebounding skills would improve from this as well as he is usually getting beat out by stronger opponents for position. Defensively, Porzingis is great using his length and speed to block or alter shots from all over the court. Thanks to his speed and footwork, Porzingis has the ability to even guard wing players leading to huge mismatches for the opposing teams. Overall, Porzingis is a man who is confident about his shooting ability, has great size, ball handling skills, speed, athleticism, and has elite defensive potential. In the upcoming 2015 NBA draft, Porzingis should go in between the picks of 6-10.

Pro Comparison:

Andrea Bargnani

I hate to compare a intriguing, young prospect to the bust that Bargnani was, but before coming over to the NBA from Europe, Bargnani was one of the most polarizing international prospects to come out of Europe in the past few years. Bargnani possessed great shooting ability, footwork, speed, and defensive potential. When highlighting the strength’s of Porzingis, all of these traits are used for him as well. Neither of these two prospects had filled out bodies so they both lacked strength, but used speed and shooting ability to out maneuver their opponents. Defensively, both used their length and speed to be good shot blockers and defenders. Neither were known for being passers but still have the ability to make plays for their teammates. Bargnani suffered in the NBA because he could not stay healthy and never developed any of his weaknesses. For Porzingis to be successful, he will need to have a great off season with his coaches spent in the weight room and developing a low-post game. In improving his weaknesses, Porzingis, with his potential could become the next Dirk Nowitzki and be a franchise player, but for know, he looks to be a starting caliber NBA player with great potential on both ends of the court to maybe be selected to a few All-Star games.

By: Mac Crowe @Mac_Truck17