A back surgery that kept him out for most of his freshman season at Missouri and a recent hip strain hasn't done much to deter teams from leaning toward selecting Michael Porter Jr., according to Mike Fisher of 247 Sports.
Previously lauded as a top-two prospect in the NBA Draft coming out of high school, Porter has still impressed scouts and executives with his athleticism, shooting, and feel for the game, not so much worried by his injury history compared to the immense amount of untapped potential in his 6-foot-10 frame.
Porter suffered a setback last week, which prompted his camp to cancel a workout in Chicago, his second pro day with more than four teams taking a second look at his talents being informed on Wednesday night that he wouldn't be attending due to hip spasms that rendered him unable to move.
Multiple NBA teams are, as a source put it, “comfortable with the risks” that come with his injury history, seemingly grasping the sudden extent of the injury and his camp's willingness to be transparent and offer to have him checked out by each team's medical department.
It was Porter's back injury that dragged his stock form sure-fire top-two to a top-10 estimation, but the forward can still make a dent with his potent offense and an arsenal of skills that has impressed those who've witnessed him play.
The Dallas Mavericks, for one, could be looking at having back-to-back picks in the lottery portion of the draft, recently rumored to be in talks with the Memphis Grizzlies, who are looking to package their fourth overall selection to unload a ghastly contract in Chandler Parsons' $50 million over the next two years.
“We've interviewed him twice,” Mavs GM Donnie Nelson said this week. “We've met his family. We're close to people in his camp. We know him.”
Follow Us
Subscribe