Bridges might be a great get as a 3&D wing, but he dominated as a much older player. Declaring Porter won't be anything when he showed a good skill set and is still so young shows a clear bias.
Stretch bigs are the standard in the new NBA. Guys like Davis, Towns, Embiid, and Turner spend as much time in the high post and out as they do in the low post. Porter is also a pretty adept passer from that area as well.
Lastly, keep in mind this kid won't turn 19 until the middle of November. He has plenty of time and opportunity to improve his all-around skill set.
Last edited by AFBlue; 05-20-2018 at 01:32 PM.
Bridges might be a great get as a 3&D wing, but he dominated as a much older player. Declaring Porter won't be anything when he showed a good skill set and is still so young shows a clear bias.
I agree, what i mean is that i think drafting a player who will be primary aldridge Back up is a little bit weird. But if porter can play C he could be a good addition.
Imo if mulitinov come this summer, we need a guard more than a big.
Davis, Towns, Embiid, are elite talents and Turner is a tier below. They provide some range shooting, but they're not stretch bigs. A guy like Anderson is and those types are being phased out, in large part because of their defensive deficiencies.
If they more or less bring this team back, they'll be no room in the rotation for a third traditional big in the near future. The type they need in the pipeline, is the athletic, rim rolling/protecting type.
On Porter . . .
The Spurs don't need heavy, short armed bigs who can't defend in space and play under the rim, despite how well he might pass or decently shoot threes. Don't really want Porter unless a lot of names are off.
Agree w Objective and TD21, I do NOT want Porter for their reasons.
I like Porter a lot as a fit next to LMA. But I don't like him as a sole big, and with the way the NBA is trending, that's a problem. It's not so much because of his lateral quickness. Folks put too much into mobility in space. It's only a problem when the big is indecisive. Just commit to stopping the three and let the back end of the D handle a drive. His hands also seem pretty good, given that he averaged four blocks/steals per-36. Obviously, you don't get him assuming he's going to be an anchor, but I don't think he'd be a bad defender if he put his mind into that end of the court.
His problem is more on O than anything. As a passer/floor-spacer, he could do what Pau should be doing now. Give him the ball at the top and let him feed guys and can jumpers. When you have a post big like Aldridge to take attention away, that skill-set works really well. However, his lack of inside presence would really hurt spacing if he's the only big. Five guys on the perimeter may as well be three guys in the paint, and a big who won't go into the paint can be checked by nearly any player. Team could realistically switch wings on him without concern, and that makes it hard to force the D into making mistakes. We've seen this with Pau already. A rim-runner or post-first guy would give the offense better balance.
I would look elsewhere at 18, but people have talked about a Deng/25 for Gasol swap. If such a deal were to happen, and Porter is still on the board when it does, then he makes a lot of sense there. Milutinov coming in would only add depth and compe ion.
He's not short-armed...+2.25 inches on wingspan with a 9'1 standing reach. He's also still going to be 18 heading into the season. I'd suggest he's not done growing. I'd also say that his athleticism takes a hit because he doesn't know how to take care of his body yet. I don't think he'll ever be an elite athlete, but he could be serviceable.
I just think it's funny that people are looking at him as a complete prospect when he's not even 19 years old.
The issue with his body is that he needs to lose weight defensively, while offensively he's likely best served wearing more weight and moving closer to the basket. If dropping pounds gave him wing-level mobility, then maybe it makes sense, but it's likely to only make him a little more mobile, and that's only going to make him more of an offensive tweener. A guy who can't reliably score one-on-one can't really make use of his passing ability.
If he lost the bad weight but gained back mass in muscle, he may not lose speed or athleticism associated with gaining it back. I think he could carry 240lbs of good weight and be a better athlete than he shows today.
It can be overstated, but if you struggle with it, it needs to be made up for with elite rim protection and offensively.
I agree that the 3 should take precedent instead of playing in between in a futile attempt to do both. But, if you do that, it'll either lead to a layup/dunk or if the weak side rotation is timely, a drive and kick 3. The goal of the defense should be to abandon the worst 3 point shooter along the arc, rotate and close late. Of course, that's all easier said than done.
He is. 6'11'' in shoes, with a 7'0.25'' wingspan, is extremely short. That's the height of a center, with a wingspan that's the 2-6 inches shorter than the typical one.
That would be the plan for guys attacking Porter for sure. But I don't think it would be that bad on a club like SA. They rotate extremely well, and so long as Porter gets to where he's supposed to be, they should be able to force a tough shot. Of course, if Pop is running a Mills/Parker backcourt with Anderson, Gasol and Porter as the other front-court guys, then yeah. Money in the bank for the other team, and Pop WILL try such a unit at least once if all five of those players are on the team next year.
We'll know at the combine, but a guy who's 6-9ish with a wingspan over seven feet is not remotely atypical. Most humans have their natural heights pretty close to their wingspans. Players seem to have a couple of inches difference. It's not eight inches, though. I wouldn't even say it's four. Guys like Gobert and Leonard (and Anderson) are freaks. Murray is exceptional at a plus-five. Green is still considered above average with a plus-3.5. Porter isn't going to make waves if he's only plus-2.5, but he should be fine. He's tall enough to where his length is relatively unimportant as it is. He shouldn't be reaching down, and few guys are going to shoot over 9-1 any better than they would 9-4 or whatever.He is. 6'11'' in shoes, with a 7'0.25'' wingspan, is extremely short. That's the height of a center, with a wingspan that's the 2-6 inches shorter than the typical one.
I believe Spurs will draft Anfernee Simons in the first round as Tony Parker replacement but with three-point shooting at the outset.
Could open up the offense more.
Good upside.
Barring players movement we could field a line-up like this:
STARTERS: SIMONS, MURRAY, LEONARD, GAY, ALDRIDGE
SECOND: MILLS, GREEN, GINOBILI, ANDERSON, GASOL
Defending on the match up, Simons, Murray, Leonard, Gay will have a field day slashing to the basket.
The second unit can thrive on player movements and threes.
In second round, I prefer a mobile big like PJ Washington.
Simons may very well be the pick, but I sincerely doubt he'll play much with the big club in the first two years, let alone start. I'd also be surprised if they went with Simons over a guy like Khyri Thomas, who is much more proven. But, I see the upside.
Jontay already has his combine numbers out, 6-11.5 in shoes, 7-0.25 wingspan.
To me, less than +1 in shoes is short armed for a big
Could Spurs be the rumored promise for Hutchinson? Trail Blazers and Bulls have been speculated, but: Boise State forward Chandler Hutchinson abruptly withdrew from the combine and shut down all workouts Wednesday, which league executives believe to be the result of a promise from a team in the range of no. 18 (Spurs and no. 24 (Trail Blazers). https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/5...ings-takeaways
As objective said, the combine numbers are out: http://stats.nba.com/draft/combine-a...WINGSPAN&dir=1
Porter is 6'10'' barefoot. "6'9ish with a wingspan over seven feet", is fine for a nominal PF or combo forward, but it's not for a player who skews more towards C (defensively). Suffice it to say, these guys are not "most humans", they're freaks. Most centers are plus 4-6, height to wingspan.
Porter is supposedly unlikely to stay in the draft: Multiple league sources say Missouri big man Jontay Porter, the younger brother of Michael Porter, is leaning toward returning to school for his sop re season. https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/5...ings-takeaways
Saw a mock draft with Spurs picking Kevin Huerter, who made a name for himself at the combine. Anyone heard of this guy?
I like him, he might be comparable to Marco with his shooting and range, plus very good passing and playmaking as a secondary ballhandler type, better then Marco I would hope as Marco's creation game was I feel always overrated.
Tried harder on defense, might still not be a better than neutral defender. But again, hopefully better than Marco.
Huerter has some Klay in his game and also some Bertans. He's growing on me. If his wingspan was 6'10"+ ..hed be perfect. His athleticism impressed in the combine.
My gut feeling, from the very beginning, says the Spurs will go after Dzanan Musa with their pick, and I don't really like it.
https://www.thestepien.com/2018/05/2...ys-2018-draft/
Long, but I think relevant to the Porter question.
Although I don't think they've made a promise (no need, since they're considered the absolute peak of his range), I'm leaning Hutchinson. Looks and sounds like a Spur, supposedly has an excellent work ethic and could conceivably fill a significant need for size, two-way play and athleticism on the wing, sooner than later considering he's already 22.
Good article.
No question, Porter could conceivably thrive offensively as a situational player (though if he can't effectively post switches, teams will guard him with wings, thereby limiting his impact), but that doesn't solve the lack of a true defensive position.
Then again, Olynyk looked to have the same issue, yet rates as a solid defender. Granted, he was a PG until a rapid, relatively late growth spurt shot him up to 6'10.75'' barefoot, giving him unique agility for someone that size.
Hope the Spurs didn't watch his workout... (short guard who can shoot)
Baylor standout centre Jo Lual-Acuil Jr has conducted pre-NBA Draft workouts with the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs and LA Lakers.
Too many missing combine results for players projected around our pick for my liking.
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