Add another offense to the lengthy list of basketball grievances against former Lakers head coach Byron Scott: doubting the omnipotence of the Porzingod.
Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding shared an anecdote in a feature on Monday of how the Lakers held a grueling private workout with New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis before the 2015 NBA Draft in order to test the young Latvian’s physicality. Scott, who was still at the helm of the Lakers at the time, saw how badly the workout overwhelmed and exhausted Porzingis and joked with team staffers that he’d better get a contract extension if the Lakers wound up drafting this supposed project big.
The Lakers would eventually chose D’Angelo Russell No. 2 overall and Porzingis went to the Knicks two picks later. But what the Lakers and Scott got oh so wrong about the 7-foot-3 WorldStarHipHop enthusiast is that his value is not intrinsically tied to any antiquated notions of physicality. Rather, what makes Porzingis so special is his length and his ability to perform conventional and unconventional skills for a player of said length.
Porzingis would go on to make an impact in The Big Apple right away, averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks with 1.1 three-pointers per game as a rookie. Now in his sophomore season, Porzingis is averaging the same amount of blocks but has upped his numbers to 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.1 three-pointers a contest. And perhaps in an episode of karmic justice, he put up 26 points, 12 rebounds, and a season-high seven blocks in a win over those very same Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday.
To his credit, Scott openly admitted to being wrong about Porzingis not long after his wisecrack. But maybe it all worked out for the Lakers in the end considering Russell’s development in his own sophomore season and the fact that the since-fired Scott ultimately (and thankfully) didn’t get that extension.
