Kristaps Porzingis might have more momentum than any player in the 2015 NBA Draft right now. The 7-foot Latvian big man is now being projected as high as No. 2 to the Los Angeles Lakers, according to EPSN’s Marc Stein, and has impressed scouts with size, fluid athleticism and shooting stroke from the three-point range.
Lakers interested in Kristaps Porzingis at No. 2 pick after impressive workout
Porzingis worked in Las Vegas to a crowd of NBA scouts and impressed every one of them.
Draft scuttle: Hearing Porzingis not only in play for Philly at No. 3 but now giving Lakers something to ponder at No. 2. Stock rising fast
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 13, 2015 On Friday, Porzingis was the focal point of an open workout that also included Myles Turner, Rakeem Christmas and Jarrel Martin. While Porzingis was competing against exactly no one in the workout, he seemed to leave a strong impression for everyone in attendance.
You can also watch him dunk, perform post moves and give an interview to DraftExpress here. After he finished, scouts and front office executives couldn’t stop saying good things about him.
Here's more video from the Porzingis workout. He's incredible. Many GMs walked away saying he's a Top 2 talent pic.twitter.com/4BMDhzO0IW
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 13, 2015 Porzingis was VERY impressive in workout. A scout called him the best player in the draft "He's better than Karl Towns," said the scout.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) June 12, 2015 Some talk as of late that the Knicks will consider Porzingis at #4 because of his fit in the Triangle. Phil Jackson came to see for himself.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 12, 2015 It's true that NBA fans should be wary about workouts that take place with no defenders in sight -- Yi Jianlian famously wowed scouts and fans with his workout video, for example -- but Porzingis has done the same thing in Euroleague play, too. Here's a video of him playing against actual competition.
The only question now is how high Porzingis can rise. In all likelihood, he’s a top eight pick. He might make sense for a team like Orlando at No. 5 or Sacramento at No. 6. There’s always the possibility that the Knicks or 76ers could pull the trigger on him, too.
For more on Porzingis, check out Kevin O’Connor’s scouting report. The 2015 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 25 at the Barclays Center.
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