Michael Porter Jr
Pro comparison
Similar to Kevin Durant and Danilo Gallinari
NBA projection
All-Star
Measurements
6'10" 215 lbs 7'0" wingspan 19 years old
Similar to Kevin Durant and Danilo Gallinari
NBA projection
All-Star
Measurements
6'10" 215 lbs 7'0" wingspan 19 years old
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Strengths
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Weaknesses
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Write Up
Michael Porter Jr. came into the season as one of the most touted prospects in the country and was in the conversation of being a potential top overall pick this June. Unfortunately, Porter's season was cut short due to a back injury which required surgery ("microdiscectomy of the L3-L4 spinal discs") and put him out for roughly 4 months. It seemed as if Porter was going to sit out for the rest of the season and let mystery uphold or boost his draft stock, but he decided to return for the SEC and NCAA tournament. Returning to play shouldn't drastically hurt his draft stock as he was one of the most heavily scouted high school prospects in recent years and was considered a top 3 pick prior to the season, however, Porter's return did nothing to boost his stock and it'll be interesting to see where he goes come draft night. When healthy, Porter has all-star potential and is the type of player who fits today's NBA. He has a great combination of size and skill set, at 6'10" he's able to stretch the floor, create off the bounce, and defend multiple positions. He plays with confidence and has a high BBIQ. Athletically, Porter has a fairly quick first step, shows fluidity as a rim runner, and has good explosiveness around the rim. His injury and time off really limited his athleticism as he returned out of shape and seemed to be a shell of himself.
Even when healthy, Porter has some legitimate concerns that should be taken into account prior to making him a cornerstone type of player. Even though he has a high BBIQ and is a smart/self-aware person, his shot selection needs to be reigned in a bit as he tends to have a gunner mentality and settles for inefficient shots. His shot selection upon his return threw Missouri out of whack offensively, which resulted in an early exit from the NCAA tournament. Porter shot a terrible 35% from 2pt territory and 30% from 3pt territory on a total of 10 shot attempts per game. While those statistics are based on a small 3 game sample size from an obviously rusty Porter, one still fears/wonders if he could end up being a high usage/inefficient player. Porter is highly skilled for his size, but still needs to tighten his handle and refine his shooting mechanics if he is to generate offense off the bounce and shoot more efficiently from NBA range. Lastly, Porter has a good frame and will add muscle with NBA training, but it may take a few years until he's fully ready physically to handle a longer NBA season. Overall, while Porter has some concerns/warts, he's a versatile SF/PF who has potential to be a star and is worthy of a top pick in this years draft.
Michael Porter Jr. came into the season as one of the most touted prospects in the country and was in the conversation of being a potential top overall pick this June. Unfortunately, Porter's season was cut short due to a back injury which required surgery ("microdiscectomy of the L3-L4 spinal discs") and put him out for roughly 4 months. It seemed as if Porter was going to sit out for the rest of the season and let mystery uphold or boost his draft stock, but he decided to return for the SEC and NCAA tournament. Returning to play shouldn't drastically hurt his draft stock as he was one of the most heavily scouted high school prospects in recent years and was considered a top 3 pick prior to the season, however, Porter's return did nothing to boost his stock and it'll be interesting to see where he goes come draft night. When healthy, Porter has all-star potential and is the type of player who fits today's NBA. He has a great combination of size and skill set, at 6'10" he's able to stretch the floor, create off the bounce, and defend multiple positions. He plays with confidence and has a high BBIQ. Athletically, Porter has a fairly quick first step, shows fluidity as a rim runner, and has good explosiveness around the rim. His injury and time off really limited his athleticism as he returned out of shape and seemed to be a shell of himself.
Even when healthy, Porter has some legitimate concerns that should be taken into account prior to making him a cornerstone type of player. Even though he has a high BBIQ and is a smart/self-aware person, his shot selection needs to be reigned in a bit as he tends to have a gunner mentality and settles for inefficient shots. His shot selection upon his return threw Missouri out of whack offensively, which resulted in an early exit from the NCAA tournament. Porter shot a terrible 35% from 2pt territory and 30% from 3pt territory on a total of 10 shot attempts per game. While those statistics are based on a small 3 game sample size from an obviously rusty Porter, one still fears/wonders if he could end up being a high usage/inefficient player. Porter is highly skilled for his size, but still needs to tighten his handle and refine his shooting mechanics if he is to generate offense off the bounce and shoot more efficiently from NBA range. Lastly, Porter has a good frame and will add muscle with NBA training, but it may take a few years until he's fully ready physically to handle a longer NBA season. Overall, while Porter has some concerns/warts, he's a versatile SF/PF who has potential to be a star and is worthy of a top pick in this years draft.