Bobby Portis leads Arkansas Razorbacks’ charge toward Tournament

Mar 13, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis (10) forces a turnover by South Carolina Gamecocks guard Brenton Williams (1) during the first half in the second round of the SEC college basketball tournament at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Bobby Portis’ best performance last season was one of the most bizarre games you will ever see. During that brisk February evening, we saw Portis do what he does best: play hard, hit jump shots and run the floor. The McDonalds All-American finished a scorching 14-17 from the field en route to an Arkansas freshman record 35 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. The packed home crowd, which included Arkansas legends Corliss Williamson and Bill Clinton, watched as Portis torched Alabama while his teammates laid enough bricks to build a very large chimney. Remember watching Andray Blatche on the Filipino national team during the FIBA World Cup? That was Portis, scoring 29 of his team’s first 35 points on 12-15 shooting as his teammates went an impressively terrible 1-25 from the field during that stretch.

Don’t be mistaken, the Razorbacks are actually a very talented team who will very likely find their way back to the big dance this season for the first time in six years. In order for that to happen, however, Portis will need to build on his very strong — 12.3 ppg, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.0 stl —  freshman campaign.

There are a number of things to like about Portis. Most importantly, he’s a guy who is reportedly very coachable and constantly working on his game. He attended the Nike Skills Big Man Camp in June and earned a trip to the Lebron James Skills Academy in July. According to Arkansas coach Mike Anderson, Portis has been the “first one in the gym and the last one to leave” this summer and the guy who has “set the standard for this program on and off the court.” In addition to his work ethic, Portis – 6’10.5”, 245 pounds with a 7’1.5” wing span – has excellent size for an NBA power forward.

Offensively Portis is pretty much a midrange guy at this point in his career. When his jump shot is going, he’s dangerous. Portis hasn’t really developed an arsenal in the post — that’s been a major focus of his offseason development plan — but he does possess a soft touch around the basket. Also, he’s good at finding open space around the rim and finishing when on the receiving end of a drop off pass.  While his ball handling skills are limited, Portis was fairly adept at recognizing when his defender was too upright, and could conceivably become more of a driving threat from midrange this season as his confidence and skill level grows. Another portion of Portis’ value offensively comes from his high motor. He gets a lot of ‘effort’ buckets by staying persistent around the rim and scoring a lot of points in transition by simply beating everyone else down the court.

The best part about Portis’ defense is his brain. He was asked to do a lot in Mike Anderson’s frenetic, trap-heavy system and, for the most part, he handled the task admirably. Arkansas tends to switch on screens and Portis did a nice job of hedging and recovering as well as recognizing where he needed to be on the floor when the trap was in place. He isn’t very explosive off the ground but he uses his length and active hands well to block shots and create turnovers while, at the same time, staying out of foul trouble. Although he finished sixth in the SEC in blocked shots, I don’t see him as a rim protector at the next level. His value will come more from making good decisions and staying active.

There are a few things that Portis really needs to improve if he wants to drive up his stock for the 2015 draft. Look no further than the contracts of Patrick Patterson and Channing Frye to see the value placed on stretch fours in today’s league. The most obvious way that Portis can help himself is by extending his excellent midrange jumper beyond the three point line. This season he shot 27 percent from beyond the arc on 33 attempts, but grew much more comfortable as the season went along. During conference play he made six of his 16 three point attempts.  The second thing Portis needs to do to help himself is become a much better defensive rebounder. Some guys have a knack for rebounding and Portis isn’t one of them. He isn’t disinterested, but his timing and instincts are often just a hair off. Frankly, he just seems more focused on grabbing rebounds when the chance to get a follow up basket is the carrot dangling at the end of the stick. He possesses the size, length and fundamentals to improve this part of his game; it’s really just a matter of seeing whether his awareness improves with time.

Overall, Portis is an easy player to like. It will be a lot of fun to see him develop alongside fellow McDonald’s All-American big man and shot blocker extraordinaire Moses Kingsley this season. Right now Portis is projected as a mid-first round pick but it’s easy to envision teams like Orlando and Philadelphia, who need shooting and love high motor guys, finding a way to secure him later in the lottery if he pulls an Adreian Payne and turns himself into a three point shooter.