Thunderous Intentions
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Michael Porter Jr. prospect profile: Backing up the bravado

By Alex Mcewen

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 16: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers reacts against the Florida State Seminoles during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 16: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers reacts against the Florida State Seminoles during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft - Michael Porter Jr.
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers fights for a rebound with Christ Koumadje #21 and PJ Savoy #5 of the Florida State Seminoles during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Pro Comparison

Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer puts together excellent prospect profiles. In the profile he did on Michael Porter Jr O’Connor compared Porter to an athletic Keith Van Horn, Otto Porter Jr (not related) or Harrison Barnes. I’ve also seen Porter compared to Kevin Durant and Joe Johnson. This latter comparison feels like a stretch since he doesn’t appear to possess the attributes of a pure scorer akin to Durant.

More from Thunderous Intentions

Based off of O’Connor’s description of Porter my comparison for him is a smaller version of Blake Griffin. He doesn’t possess the natural rebounding skills Griffin began with, however, the athleticism, dunking ability, and questionable toughness are right on par with a young Griffin. Coincidentally, later in his career Griffin also suffered from a back ailment.

Where Porter Jr ranks in mock drafts and Big Boards

  • DraftExpress/ESPN: 8th
  • NBA DraftNet: 6th
  • CBS Sports: 6th
  • Sports Illustrated: 6th
  • Bleacher Report: 7th
  • Basketball Insiders: 3rd
  • The Ringer Kevin O’Connor: 5th

Should OKC move up and draft Porter

As Thunderous intentions reported during the NBA Draft Combine the Thunder and Sam Presti met with Michael Porter Jr. The natural assumption then is OKC obviously has interest in Porter. The question is – does his health make the team hesitate to part with an asset to move up.

OKC has a experienced a rocky relationship with assessing injuries. At the same time, each injury is different. OKC did rescind the infamous Tyson Chandler trade because they said his big toe was going to put Chandler out of the league. OKC also drafted Perry Jones III despite his knees being medically red flagged coming out of Baylor. To that end, that pick didn’t exactly pan out.

Some players suffer back injuries and recover just fine. Take former Thunder guard Anthony Morrow for example. Morrow suffered a stress fracture in his lower back during his junior season with Georgia Tech. A-Mo ultimately went undrafted but went on to have a productive nine-year NBA career. In fact, Morrow is in the top-15 all-time in three-point percentage.

Bottom line if the Thunder determine Porter’s back won’t impact him and what they must part ways with is worth the risk he would be a nice addition. Porter would fill the Thunder’s void at power forward which has been gaping since the team dealt Serge Ibaka. Porter would also help if the team loses Jerami Grant or Paul George via free agency.

Next: Prospect Collin Sexton draws intriguing pro comparisons

Sam Presti has made draft day deals in the past, including the deal to ship Ibaka away and bring in Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. On June 21st we shall see if Mr. Presti has yet another creative deal up his sleeve.

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