Height (w/ shoes): 6’10.5
Weight: 246
Wingspan: 7’2
No step vert: 25.0
Max Vert: 31.5
(Measurements via DraftExpress)
Bobby Portis is one of the most unique prospects in the draft. Projected anywhere from late lottery to mid teens, Portis can come on the court an instantly make an impact. With an unorthodox jump shot, Portis is still an efficient shooter, and projects to be a player that could eventually push his range out to the three-point line. He has an adequate post game with the ability to finish with both hands, is an active body on the board, averaging 8.9 rebounds per game last season, and though he’s not overly athletic, can finish above the rim. One of his undervalued assets is also how smart he is on the court. He makes the right reads on both ends of the floor and can be an excellent passer, and cutter, at the next level. He understands exactly what his strength and weaknesses are which is a positive for a guy you want to implement in your system instantly, but draws some concern about his overall upside.
Defensively, Portis has shown versatility, and the want to compete on the other end. In college he’s switched on every position on the court, and has excellent lateral quickness. Because he’s not the greatest athlete he leaves a little to be desired in the shot-blocking department (averaged 1.4 last season), but does read plays well and disrupts a fair share of shots with his length. In the post he’s shown the knowledge of how to play different bigs, but should put on a bit of weight to better hold his ground. With a body very similar to Kevin Garnett that should mean getting up into the mid 250’s.
In Boston, our fanbase is very caught up in the talk about “rim protection, scoring, superstars, etc”, but one thing that gets lost is our need for ‘tough’ players. Not only were the Cavaliers a better team than us, but they looked like they could kick our asses in a bar fight too. Besides Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder, Boston lacks a physical presence on the court, specifically in the front court. Portis, who says he mirrors his game after Kevin Garnett will bring that toughness into a frontcourt that desperately needs it. He may not be our day one starter, but he’ll be nipping at the heels of whoever is, and could make himself a big part of our future.
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