It was announced last week that Missouri freshman forward Michael Porter Jr. was presumably declared out for the year due to a spinal disc surgery.

However, Porter Jr. recently took to Instagram to brush aside the projected timetable of three to four months for him to fully recover from the procedure.

This could make things extremely interesting as Michael Porter Jr. could be aiming to make his return at some point late in the 2017-18 season. Much of this could hinge on how Missouri plays this year without his services.

Prior to this setback, the 19-year-old had missed three straight games due to a hip injury, which had been worse than originally anticipated, requiring him to undergo surgery. Heading into his freshman year, Porter Jr. was widely viewed as arguably the second-best player in his class behind Duke's Marvin Bagley — some even have the former over the latter.

This buzz had been built on a stellar senior year at Nathan Hale that saw him get named the Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball, averaging 36.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He also helped lead his school to the top ranking in the country by winning the state title, finishing, with a perfect 29-0 record.

Ultimately, the further along this entire recovery process gets for Michael Porter Jr., the clearer the picture will arise about when he can return.