The NBA Draft is this week. Here's where Mizzou's Michael Porter Jr. might land
Michael Porter Jr. is the same basketball player he was two weeks ago, but NBA franchises appear to increasingly covet the former Missouri forward as the 2018 NBA Draft nears.
The NBA’s annual selection of prospects happens on Thursday evening in New York, and according to reports, the Sacramento Kings, owners of the No. 2 overall pick, are considering selecting Porter. ESPN reported last week that “it’s now unlikely (Porter) falls out of the top seven in the draft.”
Porter’s stock appears to be on the rise after a weird week in which his camp temporarily canceled a medical evaluation session for teams with lottery picks because he was suffering from strained hip and back spasms. Porter said on the radio on Monday that reports of his injury stats “got exaggerated a lot.”
"It was just a little sore, so I told [my agent] my hip was kind of sore and he just wanted to shut it down for a couple of days," Porter said on ESPN Radio’s The Will Cain Show. "And then people took that and kind of ran with it, saying, you know, my hip was injured, I couldn't get out of bed. ... None of that was really true. I was just sore and I wanted to take a couple of days off."
So, just like during his freshman season at Missouri, there are plenty of rumors and lots of uncertainty surrounding Porter. Most of that will die down when a team actually selects him on Thursday.
For now, here’s a look at where he sits in some recent mock drafts:
Sports Illustrated
No. 5, Dallas Mavericks
As franchise cornerstone Dirk Nowitzki nears retirement, the Mavs could use another forward to play alongside Harrision Barnes. Porter could supply an athletic scoring punch on the wing that Dallas currently lacks.
“The game comes easily to Porter, and in a total vacuum his offensive gifts would make him a top-five selection,” SI’s Jeremy Woo writes. “The risk of re-injury as well as background intel on his personality may continue to give some teams pause. Though he could still end up falling in the draft, there appears to be enough interest to keep him safely in the Top 10.”
ESPN
No. 7, Chicago Bulls
ESPN’s Johnathan Givony reported on Thursday that the forward’s draft stock “appears to be on the upswing after medical evaluations and a strong showing at his pro day last week.” That was before the forward then held another medical evaluation session for teams with lottery picks.
USA Today
No. 2, Sacramento Kings
Could the Kings really pass on more sure-thing prospects, such as Duke forward Marvin Bagley and international star guard Luka Doncic, to nab Porter here?
In their recent mock draft, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, Michael Singer and Sam Amick mention the possibility that the Kings could trade down to select Porter while also picking up a first round pick in the 2019 draft, something Sacramento currently lacks. But if the Kings are really in love with Porter and sense that they can’t trade down to a slot that would give them a sure chance to pick him, they might have to take him early.
The Ringer
No. 4, Memphis Grizzlies
Ringer NBA reporter Kevin O'Connor writes that Porter is a "tall, athletic forward who can drain shots from anywhere, but must hone his ball handling to reach his scoring potential." Memphis is still trying to contend with aging stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. The New York Times’ Marc Stein reported that Memphis is considering trading away this pick with 6-foot-10 wing Chandler Parsons, who has been injured for most of his time with the Grizzlies.
The Athletic
No. 7, Chicago Bulls
Even before he entered the NBA Draft, Porter sometimes wore Bulls gear, and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, is based in Chicago, which is also where Porter has been training since leaving MU. He’s been linked to this franchise for a while, and like ESPN, The Athletic’s Michael Scotto reports that this pick is “is considered Porter’s floor.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2018 at 3:09 PM with the headline "The NBA Draft is this week. Here's where Mizzou's Michael Porter Jr. might land."