The NBA Draft 2015 takes place on June 25, and contrary to popular belief that the top few spots are set, young Latvian prospect Kristaps Porzingis could shake things up.
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Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay are widely expected to be the top four picks in the Draft, and that may well turn out to be the case next month.
However, Porzingis has certainly made an impression and the power forward from Latvia has been touted as a possible top-three pick given the positive impression that he has made on general managers around the league.
It has yet to be determined what order the teams will pick with the Draft lottery taking place on Tuesday, but Porzingis is certainly on their radars.
“He could go two,” one general manager said, as reported by NBA‘s Scott Howard-Cooper. “He’s that good. Nobody says anything bad about him.”
Said the head of basketball operations for another team: “I think he’s a lock for the top five and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go as high as top three. He’s good. We all like to do our comparables. He’s like Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol….. I’d take him ahead of (Jahlil) Okafor.”
Porzingis is 7’1 and averaged 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in international play this season, while also showing his ability from range after shooting 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Things will become a lot clearer after Tuesday, as ultimately the Draft isn’t always about selecting the top talents with teams looking to address their needs with the best talent in particular positions. As a result, Porzingis could well cause a shock next month.
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