NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Narrowing down the picks after lottery, combine
By Phil Watson
Kevin Porter Jr.. 20. player. 18. . SG/SF. USC
There are few players in the 2019 NBA Draft whose position on draft boards has been as wildly fluid as USC’s Kevin Porter Jr.
On boards I’ve looked at, Porter has been as high as the low end of the lottery and as low as the early second round.
He has some issues with shot selection and decision making as a whole — he averaged 1.4 assists and 1.9 turnovers at USC as a freshman — and was a terrible free throw shooter for a wing, hitting only 52.2 percent.
Porter also hurt his stock with a very well-publicized argument with coach Andy Enfield that led to a suspension and was a disruptive influence on a Trojans team that underachieved a bit.
He started the season strong, but faded as teams discovered the holes in his game and could bait him into bad shots and bad decisions with the basketball.
The Celtics could use an elite athlete on the wing who can score and if Brad Stevens can show the right touch with the volatile Porter, it could pay off down the line.