Orlando Magic Wish List: Three moves the Orlando Magic should make
By Zach Palmer
With The 5th Pick in the 2015 NBA Draft the Orlando Magic Select Kristaps Porzingis
There are probably quite a few of you out there that just audibly said to yourselves, “Who in the heck is Kristaps Porzingis???”
Kristaps Porzingis is a 19-year-old, 7-foot-1 power forward out of Latvia. Porzingis has drawn hyperbolic comparisons to future Hall of Famer and current Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki. Where these comparisons stem from is what makes Porzingis such a great fit for the Magic.
Porzingis is an excellent shooter who measures 7-foot-1 and can seemingly get his shot off over just about anybody. While the Magic signed Channing Frye this past offseason, that move blew up in Orlando’s face thanks to Frye’s lack of lateral quickness and rebounding.
Porzingis definitely shares some of the same concerns as Frye as far as rebounds are concerned. However Porzingis can improve a lot with added strength.
A lot of Porzingis’ troubles on the glass are directly related to him being boxed right out of the play by stronger guys that have a lower center of gravity. Porzingis differentiates himself from Frye on the glass from a desire standpoint. Porzingis averaged three offensive rebounds per game in Europe per 40 minutes. If Porzingis is able to add some strength it should help him improve his overall rebounding.
On the defensive side of the ball where Channing Frye failed Porzingis also appears to be an improvement. Porzingis is not an elite rim protector but his lateral quickness allows him to help on defense a lot more than Channing Frye can. Porzingis oozes potential and would be a great fit next to ……
(Dream Scenario: Orlando Wins the Lottery and Drafts Karl Anthony-Towns)
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