Coming out of high school Michael Porter Jr. was a highly touted NBA Draft prospect, but an untimely back injury means he returns with more questions than answers.
Michael Porter Jr could very well be the biggest conundrum of the 2018 NBA Draft. Porter Jr across the board was a top-three recruit coming out of high school. Porter was on pace to be a potential top-5 pick in this June’s draft until an injury robbed the majority of his first and final collegiate season.
Michael Porter Jr as Kyle Singler would say had a bit of a dry year. Due to him being limited to three games at the Mizzou because he injured his back early in the first half of his first game there. Porter’s injury required surgery to repair his L3-L4 spinal discs.
Player specifics
- Height: with shoes: 6’10, Height without shoes:, 6’9
- Weight: 211 (LBS)
- Wingspan: 7’0
- Position: Small Forward – Power Forward
- Age: 19.8
- College: University of Missouri, Freshman
- Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
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Due to Porter Jr appearing in only three collegiate games with Missouri stats from the 2016 FIBA under 18 Men’s basketball tournament are added to offer additional insight.
- Points: 15.8 (FIBA ), 10.0 (NCAA)
- Minutes: 21.1 (FIBA ), 17.7 (NCAA)
- Rebounds: 5.6 (FIBA ), 6.7 (NCAA)
- Assists: 2.4 (FIBA), 0.3 (NCAA)
- Personal Fouls: 1.6 (FIBA ), 2.0 (NCAA)
- Steals: 1.8 (FIBA ), 1.0 (NCAA)
- Turnovers: 1.4 (FIBA ), 1.0 (NCAA)
- Blocks: 1.0 (FIBA ), 0.3 (NCAA)
*all per game statistics
With that, lets proceed to Porter’s skills and weaknesses
Strong suits: Confidence
In Porter’s return from his back surgery he attempted 17 field goals. Perhaps he was doing too much or maybe it was just his mindset. Confidence bears a fine line in sports an over abundance can hurt your team, whereas a lack of it can hamper a squad.
Porter teeters on a dangerous line, however, his amnesia and catch and shoot mentality is perfect for the NBA.
Ability to draw fouls and Make Foul Shots
Michael Porter Jr.’s ability to draw fouls received praise in multiple pre-draft scouting reports. His time spent at Mizzou did not accurately depict Porter’s knack of getting to the foul line.
At this point it’s unclear how this skill will translate to the NBA, however drawing fouls if utilized properly can be a massive offensive advantage.
Weaknesses: Predictability on Offensive End
Porter is a competent and confident offensive player, however, at times he can border on being selfish. When Porter catches the ball he prefers to shoot, back in or drive the paint. From the film, I watched it was rare for to Porter pass the ball.
This clip from Porter’s first game after his back surgery is an example of such decisions. He chooses to shoot a tough turnaround jump shot rather than passing to one of his two open teammates on the perimeter.
Weak rebounder
Porter possesses the size and strength to be an effective rebounder in the NBA. Yet, in the following clip, he is easily boxed-out by his opponent. Porter will need to display more hustle while going for a rebound in the big leagues.
Injury concerns
The back injury Porter suffered while in his single season at the University of Missouri should not be taken likely. Back injuries are scary on any person let alone a 6’10, 211 pound NBA prospect. Questionable health could hold Porter Jr. back once he gets to the league or could cause him to drop in the draft.
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.
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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.