NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 09: USC Trojans mascot Tommy Trojan stands on the court during the team’s semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Trojans won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

16. Kevin Porter Jr., 6-5 G/F, USC

BEST: Miami Heat

Miami!? Again!? I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. Porter didn’t exactly build a stellar reputation during his lone year with the Trojans after getting suspended in January for unspecified conduct issues. A vaguely-termed suspension is a red flag for any franchise looking to pick up a talented wing with top-notch scoring potential, and is something that teams will want to suss out during the pre-draft interview process. Ideally, it would be a team with a well-established culture that would roll the dice on a player with dazzling potential and frightening downside such as Porter, and that team, as outlined many times already, would be the Miami Heat.

(If this thought experiment extended to all NBA teams and not just those in the lottery, then Brooklyn would definitely be mentioned here due to their culture and coaching staff. Porter could realistically fall to No. 17 on draft night anyway, so it’s worth mentioning.)

WORST: Los Angeles Lakers

The trip from USC’s LA campus to the Staples Center is only six miles, and it would be a great story to see a West Coast kid live out his dreams with a storied franchise such as the Lakers. Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss should be looking to add shooters and shot creators, and Porter fits the bill (41.2 3P%) and more. So, why wouldn’t this pairing work out? Well, a lot of reasons.

Mentioned above, Porter’s reputation is not as clean as one would hope that a potential lottery pick would be, nor is his attitude, and character concerns are certainly difficult to ignore for NBA teams. But, to be fair, the concerns regarding the fit between Porter and LA isn’t a one-way street — the Lakers themselves have garnered attention for not-so-great reasons, be it Magic Johnson’s surprising resignation from his position as team president, the expedited ousting of former head coach Luke Walton, the poor communication that saw contract talks with former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Ty Lue abruptly fall through, or the constant trade rumors that saw team morale plummet as the season went on.

For the sake of Kevin Porter Jr. the basketball player and Kevin Porter Jr. the person, he needs to end up somewhere with a great culture and great front office — that place, unfortunately, is not LA.

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