2015 NBA Draft: International Men of Mystery

Courtesy of Dan Glassberg

@OffTheGlassberg

Kristaps Porzingis

First up is the 7’1″ Latvian, Kristaps Porzingis. Can you think of what type of prospect Giannis would’ve been if he were seven feet tall, had played in a more high-profile Euro league, and had a mechanically sound jumpshot? Here he is.

Strengths

Like I said, Zing (that’s what I’m calling him. Deal with it.) can flat-out shoot it, knocking down 31% of his three pointers this season overseas, and improving to 46% (!) in 16 (!!) games in the Eurocup playoffs. Combine that good (but not great, although his cup numbers show upside) shooting with crazy length and athleticism, and you really start to see the Giannis comparison, especially when you see Zing block shots as a weakside help defender.

Defense is another area where Porzingis presents value, as his length and speed allows him to guard just about every position on the floor. He’s especially effective in a switch happy defense. Like I said, he’s Latvian Giannis. Latviannis.

Weaknesses

Kristaps shares some of Giannis’ weaknesses, too. He’s rail thin, which means stronger players will be able to take him into the paint and eat him alive.

He’s also, unlike Giannis, a subpar rebounder, which is very worrisome for anyone over seven feet. He didn’t even average five rebounds in his 20 minutes per game this season, and additionally didn’t tally a single assist per game.

He’s a wing player in a stretchy power forward’s body with none of a prototypical power forward’s muscle. What exactly he will be in the NBA is anyone’s guess, but the pieces are definitely in place for him to be something special. He could be picked anywhere from #3 to the Sixers to #6 and Sacramento.

Next: Mario Hezonja