Will Boston Draft "Mini-KG"?

http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/bobby-portis-im-very-crazy-i-play-angry



Portis: 'I'm very crazy. I play angry'

May 15, 2015, 7:00 pm










CHICAGO – From the moment Bobby Portis steps on the court, the first thing you notice is the eyes bulging out.

As you watch him play more, the eyes remain fixated on his opponents like a heat-seeking missile locked on its target.

“I’m very crazy. I play angry, I play mad,” Portis said. “I play very angry. Every game, I sit in the locker room and I have visions of the players on the other team slapped my mom. So that’s why I get mad and now I get you because you slapped my mom.”

While it may seem a bit extreme in terms of psychological games that players play on their own minds, Portis’ approach stems from a dark, painful past that was riddled with domestic abuse.

“That (domestic violence) propelled me,” Portis told ESPN.com in 2014. “To want to do something with this basketball stuff to get my mom out of that situation.”

There is no mistaking the influence and power that period in his life has had on how he approaches the game of basketball.

“I bring something different to the basketball court that I think most 20-year-olds don’t bring,” Portis said. “I bring a sense of urgency. I play with a log on my shoulder; not a chip. I play with a log on my shoulder simply because I feel I’m one of the best kept secrets in this draft.”

Well the secret is out.

Portis, the reigning SEC player of the Year, is known throughout NBA circles.

Several teams, including the Celtics, will think long and hard about draft him. He has six workouts currently scheduled, one of which will be with Boston.

He plays with an uncanny fire and emotion that, in terms of college players, is about as close as you’ll find to former Celtic Kevin Garnett.

So it should come as no surprise that Garnett is a player that Portis compares himself to in terms of energy and intensity.

“I feel I bring that same physicality, that same passion, and that same log on my shoulder that he plays with,” Portis said.

Don’t get it twisted, energy and effort and intensity are all good.

But Portis is on the radar of NBA teams leading up to the draft because he can play.

At 6-foot-10, Portis has shown the ability to score in a number of ways. Because he plays with such great effort, he has a chance to be a high-energy player who can defend multiple positions.

"Once I step on the court, I’m not just consumed by posting up,” Portis said. “I’m not just consumed just shooting jumpers. I like to do a lot of things on the basketball court. I believe I can play with anyone.”

And he’ll do it with a scowl, a wide-eyed demeanor and intensity that could be in a Celtics uniform next season.

And yes, the same mindset he brought to the floor at Arkansas will be coming to an NBA arena soon,

“Just some of the things I went through in the past, some of the things I had to go through in my household and some of things I had to go through in school,” Portis said. “So I created this thing I do now on me getting mad so when I go on the court I can have a productive night.”

Portis’ goal once he gets to the NBA can be summed up in two words – keep working.

“They’ll realize Bobby Portis is one of the hardest working players in the whole NBA,”said Portis, speaking in the third person briefly. “Simply because once I get there I won’t stop working. I’m going to keep doing the things that got me there. I was once a kid no one knew, and now people know me. So I got to this position to talk to you guys because I worked hard. Once I get there, I’ll keep working hard. Once I get there, I want to have a career in the NBA.”



bob
MY NOTE:  Draftexpress, mynbadraft.com has Portis being drafted by us with #16. nbadraft.net has him going #15 to Atlanta and us taking Frank Kaminsky #16.

Measurements, as of this week at the NBA Combine:
20 years old (birthday in February)
6'10 1/2" in shoes
246#
7'2" wingspan
9'0 1/2" standing reach
8.9% body fat
25" no step vertical
31 1/2" max vertical

The 6'10.5, 235-pound forward has some intriguing physical tools, centered around his seeming never-ending motor. He competes with tenacity and while he isn't the most explosive player, he zips around the floor with constant energy to affect play on both ends with his mobility. To round out his physical attributes, he sports a long wingspan, measured at 7'1.5, and excellent strength to help play physically on the interior.

Portis will get many baskets at the next level solely from his energy, as he runs the floor in transition well to get ahead of the defense, rolls aggressively to the rim, and establishes deep post position. He's also a relentless offensive rebounder, as his 4.5 offensive rebounds ranks 4th among all players in our top 100. He crashes the glass hard with a great nose for the ball, chases down rebounds outside his area, and proves adept at converting put backs.

He's an improved finisher around the rim in the half court from his freshman year, raising his average from 60% to 64.2% according to Synergy Sports Technology. His lack of explosiveness hurts his ability to finish against rim protectors, so he counters with a quick second jump pursuing offensive rebounds and a quick release to avoid being blocked. He'll need to continue to get stronger or refine his finesse game to find success at the rim at the next level as he is mainly a below the rim player

Portis is a great jump shooter for a big man and has range to the mid-range and beyond. He shot 41.2% on all jump shots according to Synergy Sports Technology which includes 43.5% on jump shot measured from 17 feet to the three point line. He has an unconventional release and follow through but he is consistent with it and it seems to work for him. He hasn't yet looked to extend his shot out to the three point, as he took just 1.0 three's per 40 minutes pace adjusted. He was effective in that small sample connecting on 46.7% of such attempts and increasing his range would make him a more dangerous, versatile offensive player.

Portis has a solid, but not spectacular back to the basket game, as he doesn't have the array of moves needed to consistently beat defenders. He is quick enough to beat defenders to the spot or strong enough to back them down, which does help him create easy looks at times. He has also demonstrated a useable face-up game, along with a drop-step and hook shot that he could use to score on NBA defenders. He's a fairly patient scorer on the block, doing a nice job looking for cutters and turning the ball over at a low rate. However, he doesn't have the counter moves necessary to score consistently on the block and often relies on a tough turnaround, fadeaway jump shot when he can't get past his defender.

Defensively, Portis is constantly active and has the potential to guard either interior or perimeter players. He can leverage his size and strength to slow down big men in the paint and showed the ability to move his feet well enough to stay in front of guards on the perimeter when Arkansas switched on the pick and roll. With the intensity he brings to the court combined with his physical tools, he could help a team in multiple ways defensively and has the potential to be a nice asset for a NBA team on this end of the floor.

One area he will have to improve upon is his defensive rebounding. While he has posted great offensive rebounding numbers, he hasn't had this success translate to the defensive side, where he averages just 6.4 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted. He doesn't always focus on boxing out his opponent and then doesn't have the leaping ability necessary to grab the rebound in traffic. He has the lower body strength to hold his opponents and will need to concentrate on this aspect to contribute as a defensive rebounder for a NBA team.

He doesn't project to be a great rim protector at the next level, as his 1.7 blocks per 40 minutes pace adjusted is an average mark for power forwards in our top 100. He'll surprise people at times with his closing speed but he didn't display the explosiveness and length to be a dominant rim protector at the college level.

Overall, Portis may not project to have a high ceiling but his skill set suggests he should be able to find a spot in the league as a high-impact role player. He has enough offensive weapons to find ways to contribute offensive and his motor and physical tools should help him compete on the defensive side. If he continues to play with high energy, he'll be able to impact on both ends of the floor and find a home in a NBA rotation.

He sounds like a taller version of Crowder.  Disruption, Inc.  I really like disruptive players.  However, I think Smart, Jerebko, Bradley, and Bass fall into that category; and I don't know how many roster slots can be allocated to disruption as distinct from offensive aggressiveness.

Time will tell.

Sam

great article and look like he'd be a good pick around the middle of the draft.

Sometimes non-freshmen get written off as low potential just because they're not freshmen.

He's better than this article leads one to believe. He was the SEC player of the year over all those Kentucky guys, and he averaged 17.5 ppg on high efficiency, scoring from all over. His 45% 3 point shooting is written off as an afterthought that doesn't even leave room in the writer's mind for the distinct possibility that he can be more than a role player.

73% from the FT line, good jumpshooter, there's more reason to believe he can be a stretch 4 and part time stretch 5, than there is reason to believe that he can't and is just a role player.

Such is life for a non-freshman. One who happens to be the exact same height without shoes as most players listed as 6'11".

6'11", hyper-competitive attitude, exceptional and versatile scorer, above average passer for a big man, it's obviously a very intriguing package.

Noah Vonleh didn't have this good a scouting report and he went top 10 last year.

Oh brother, I need to stop talking myself out of Upshaw, lol.

Portis would be a safe pick with upside, and would fit right into our lockerroom, and push Sullinger right away for the starting pf job, while also pushing Zeller and KO for the starting center job.

He just doesn't give us that monster rim protector with the size to hold his own with anybody.

I like the kid, and I believe him when he says he will keep working. Seems like the biggest knock is lack of explosiveness/athleticism. Not much you can do about that, but over the long run, a guy with a high motor can end up making more plays. Rather have him than Kaminsky...

saw his team play a few times, never thought that much of his game, not really a force at either end....load of crap comparing him to KG.