To help readers get to know top NBA draft prospects, Insider offers a 360-degree look at many of them in a concise and thorough scouting report featuring three expert perspectives: Kevin Pelton (analytics), Fran Fraschilla (scouting) and Chad Ford (NBA front offices). Here's a look at Kristaps Porzingis.
WARP Projection: 2.3 (11th among players in top 100)
Comparables: Tobias Harris (97.8), Marvin Williams (96.4), Yi Jianlian (96.2), Gerald Green (95.8)
Strengths: Shooting, Steal%, TO%
Weaknesses: 2P%, FTA%, Rebound%
The analytics perspective
At the age of 19, Porzingis has been a valuable contributor for Sevilla in the ACB -- one of the best national leagues in Europe -- as well as the intercontinental EuroCup competition. Based on his translated statistics, Porzingis could come to the NBA and competently play rotation minutes right away.
Porzingis has shown range to the slightly shorter FIBA 3-point line, making 38 percent of his 3-pointers this season across all competitions. His combination of blocks and steals is also solid.
In general, Porzingis' stats tend to be more typical of a small forward than the power forward he will likely be in the NBA. While that's positive in terms of shooting and steals, it also means he's a poor rebounder for a 4-man. And Porzingis has struggled at times with his shooting inside the arc. He's making precisely half his 2-point attempts against Spanish competition, though he's been more effective in EuroCup games. One surprising cross-cultural comparison: Porzingis' statistical profile is similar to Arkansas forward Bobby Portis, who declared for the draft earlier this week.
-- Kevin Pelton
The scouting perspective
Latvian Kristaps Porzingis is, potentially, a different type of NBA "3-and-D" guy.
We usually reserve that term for a wing shooter who can defend on the perimeter. But while the most effective offensive weapon the 7-foot 19-year-old possesses is a soft shooting touch from deep, he combines that with volleyball-like shot-blocking ability on the defensive end of the court.
Porzingis, who has spent his professional career in Spain, could have been a high draft pick a year ago as an 18-year-old but chose to go back to Spain to grow up and mature physically. It appears to be a wise decision as he is projected to be, at worst, a top-10 selection this year. While he is not noticeably stronger, he is a very athletic and agile big man who will play almost his entire NBA rookie season as a 20-year-old.
Porzingis, who has been compared to guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol because of his athleticism and mobility, has shot 38 percent from behind the arc this season. Considering that he has attracted opponents' main defensive focus and he has a green light to sometimes take tough shots, it is a shooting stroke that should become his NBA calling card.
He can also easily put the ball on the floor to create his own shot and has good passing acumen. In addition, he is a very good rim-runner in transition, catches lobs easily, is a quick jumper and uses the backboard well in the midrange game.
His struggles lie in his lack of lower body strength. He currently has a limited post-up game and his finishing ability is also affected by his lack of strength and thin body type. Occasionally, he uses his length and touch to shoot a soft turnaround jump shot.
Defensively, Porzingis cannot be blamed for his team's poor defensive play (Seville is the youngest team in the ACB this season). He moves well laterally and can develop into a good screen-and-roll defender. More impressively, his length, athleticism and excellent timing could make him a potentially elite shot-blocker. And his lateral quickness allows him to be a good off-the-ball shot-blocker as well.
Overall, he has been very well coached in Seville since arriving as a 15-year-old after leaving Latvia. His coaches have included Aito Reneses, the former Spanish national team coach who has a great reputation with young players, and former NBA assistant coach Scott Roth.
Ultimately, because of his rare combination of size, age, athleticism and shooting ability, Porzingis will be very enticing for every team that has a high lottery selection. However, physical maturity will be the key to his success.
-- Fran Fraschilla
The front-office perspective
Porzingis turned a lot of heads in April 2014 when he declared for the NBA draft. Scouts and GMs flocked to see him play in Spain, and everyone who watched Porzingis in person came back wowed at his potential. He ultimately decided to withdraw his name from the draft, but had he stayed in he likely would've been a late lottery pick.
After spending the summer working with Joe Abunassar at IMPACT Basketball in Las Vegas, Porzingis went back to Sevilla and is having a really strong season while continuing his development. He's spent much of it being coached by Roth.
Porzingis is the true sleeper in the 2105 draft. While he's been ranked constantly in the top five all season on our Big Board, a number of international scouts and an increasing number of GMs who've made the trip to see him have come away with very high opinions of the Latvian big man.
"He's an athletic, super-skilled 7-footer who can do everything well," one GM said. "I was watching him warm up and had flashbacks to when I saw Pau Gasol take the floor for the first time in Spain. Only this kid is much more athletic than Gasol, but plays with that same fluidity. I've been asking my team since then, 'Are you sure he's not the No. 1 guy? Are these guys in college really better than him?'"
Said another veteran international scout: "He's my favorite player in this draft. I keep telling my staff, 'This one is not like other international players.' He's the real deal. He's special in all the ways a player can be special. He just needs to get stronger. That's it. He's going to be a big-time pro."
While more and more GMs are warming up to the idea that Porzingis is in the mix to go as high as second or third overall, the most likely scenarios have him in the four-to-six range.
-- Chad Ford