With snow falling in Chicago in the middle of April, one of the fastest ways for our subscribers to warm up is to follow the scorching hot takes on Michael Porter Jr. The Bulls season may have been a bit of a drag, but Porter is reinvigorating the discussion around the team.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 19-year-old forward who missed all but two games and two minutes of Missouri’s season with a back injury.
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Why was Porter so hyped coming into the season?
Porter had a remarkable high school resume coming into Missouri. He was the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game and completely reversed the fortunes of his high school by leading them to a No. 1 national ranking and a state championship. He was generally thought of as the top player in the class.
Porter was a scoring machine when healthy. He could shoot from anywhere, get his shot off at any time, and could get to the rim at will thanks to his guard-like skills. Combine that with the size of an NBA big man and it’s easy to see why he was unstoppable. He was impressive among his peers and dominated the invitationals where NBA scouts congregate.
What are his weaknesses?
There is no denying Porter has talent and physical tools to be a great player. But he had some bad habits in high school. His ball-handling was sloppy. His defensive intensity was often poor. And he at times settled for tough shots, although he was good at hitting them. I wasn’t terribly impressed with his feel after watching tape of his high school games.
He still sounds pretty good. Why isn’t he thought of as the No. 1 pick?
Porter played only two minutes of Missouri’s first game before a back injury caused him to miss the rest of the regular season. He had a microdiscectomy to fix the problem and made his return during the SEC tournament.
In his two games back, Porter did not look like the same player, which is to be expected. The explosion at the rim was not there. He looked stiff and slow on defense and couldn’t get in a stance. And his reliable shot was all over the place as he hit just 9-of-29 attempts.
Porter took a risk in coming back, and there’s something to be said for trying to help his team at the end of the season. But he didn’t help his draft stock with those two rough outings.
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So what’s the deal with his back?
Nobody knows, but he was clearly limited in Missouri’s final game — a first-round loss to Florida State in the NCAA tournament. Even if he does fully recover from the injury in the immediate future, there is a risk of recurrence down the line. The essential sports injury website In Street Clothes, run by athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, detailed the long-term concerns associated with Porter’s back surgery:
“There have been cases of players undergoing disc-related surgeries and still performing at a high-level. Danilo Gallinari and Al Harrington both went on to have productive NBA careers after back surgery while Dwight Howard remains a looming presence after a microdiscectomy in 2012. However, a quick look through the InStreetClothes.com NBA Injury Database reveals that nearly three out of every four players to undergo disc-related surgery report additional back problems at some point during their career with several players requiring a subsequent procedure.”
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Stotts also added that the location of the injury and Porter’s young age are both factors working in his favor.
Porter’s medical records could be vital in determining his draft position, and he could theoretically have some control over where he lands by only disclosing that information to certain teams. He’d risk sacrificing rookie deal money, given that salaries are predetermined by draft order, but landing in what he deems the right fit could be worth that trade-off.
Any reason he would want to go to the Bulls?
Porter signed with Chicago-based agent Mark Bartelstein, who has a long working relationship with the Bulls. He’s represented Isaiah Canaan, Taj Gibson, RJ Hunter, James Johnson, Doug McDermott, E’Twaun Moore and Jannero Pargo in the recent past. The Bulls also did him a solid by signing Sean Kilpatrick for the rest of the year, and the two sides will be working on a new deal for Bobby Portis soon.
Porter looks like more of a power forward, and that could create an awkward fit down the line with Lauri Markkanen. But at least temporarily, the Bulls could play one of them at small forward or move Markkanen up to center. Porter would be a great fit in the Bulls’ offense as a grab-and-go threat who could stretch the floor, and would probably enjoy playing in that system.
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How much will his injury affect his overall draft stock?
According to reporting done by NBA.com’s David Aldridge in November, teams were still high on Porter. Aldridge asked a dozen NBA personnel people about Porter’s big-board ranking, and while opinions varied, the consensus was that he probably would not fall outside the top five if his recovery went smoothly.
Ultimately, the back injury could be beneficial for the Bulls. Porter probably would not be available outside the top three if he had a clean bill of health. But the Bulls now have a legitimate shot at landing him if the lottery doesn’t drop them below the sixth pick, and it would be difficult to envision them passing on him.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson cited the Sixers as “the model” for a rebuild, and a similar strategy worked out well for them in 2014 after Joel Embiid’s injury concerns caused him to fall to No. 3. The Bulls, of course, don’t want to see Porter miss as much time as “The Process,” even if Embiid has been as good as advertised when on the court.
Paxson also mentioned that the Bulls would be targeting wings but, “depending on where we draft, it’s hard to overlook talent, even when you’re looking at maybe a specific need.” That seems to be a nod to taking Porter if he’s available.
(Top Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports)
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