Mizzou Basketball: Michael Porter Jr still likely top ten pick in NBA Draft

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 16: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers high fives head coach Cuonzo Martin as he comes off the court during a game against the Florida State Seminoles during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

Mizzou basketball freshman Michael Porter Jr. was a one and done for his alma mater and decided to enter the NBA Draft. He should be a top ten pick.

Michael Porter Jr.‘s career at the University of Missouri was short, but the freshman sensation is still going to be a top ten pick despite everything that happened. As we all know, Porter played in just two minutes of the regular season and scored two points in that limited amount of playing time.

Porter then had surgery on his back and the debate raged on as to if he’d return for the Tigers or not during the 2017-2018 season. Spoiler alert: He did return for two more games, both of which came after the regular season had wrapped up. He played in the Tigers’ SEC tournament game and in their lone NCAA Tournament game.

Porter’s career with Mizzou basketball wasn’t what fans had in mind, but no one can blame him for leaving for the pros. The big question mark with Michael Porter Jr. will be if he can stay healthy, as he not only had the back surgery, but recently had back spasms.

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NBA teams will be cautious of all of these things, but Porter is still projected as a top ten pick in nearly every NBA Mock Draft. Gary Parrish of CBS Sports has him going seventh overall to the Chicago Bulls, citing injuries as the main reason why he’ll plummet that far.

Parrish did compare Porter to Joel Embiid (yes, of Kansas), who also struggled with injuries in college. Embiid went third overall in 2014 to the 76ers and despite being injury prone throughout the early years of his career, has come into his own over the last year or so.

Most outlets have the Tigers freshman going early in the draft. ESPN has Porter going sixth overall to the Orlando Magic with similar logic as CBS Sports.

"Assuming he checks out, Porter projects as a top-five prospect by my model because of his strong performance in AAU games as part of the Nike EYBL."

Porter had a lot of hype coming out of high school and that hype will help his draft stock for sure. There are some great players heading to the NBA Draft this year, which shows just how impressive Michael Porter Jr. was in high school.

Hopefully everything works out for Porter and he can stay healthy throughout his NBA career. Missouri fans will be rooting for him in the pros!

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