Missouri freshman star Michael Porter Jr. will undergo spinal surgery to treat a back injury that forced him out of the Mizzou lineup two minutes into his first game and has kept him off the court ever since.
According to a press release from the school Porter Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the 2017-18 season.
[blockquote]Michael Porter, Jr. will undergo surgery on Tuesday, Nov. 21, in Dallas, Texas. The procedure, a microdiscectomy of the L3 and L4 spinal discs, has a projected recovery time of three-four months and will likely cause him to miss the remainder of the season. Michael is expected to make a complete recovery, and the Mizzou Men’s Basketball program wishes Michael the best during this process.
No further information is available at this time.[/blockquote]
The reigning national high school player of the year, Porter Jr. has long been touted as a potential first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. A smooth-shooting forward, he initially committed to attend Washington but changed his mind this past March when the school fired its head coach, instead opting to attend Missouri, where his father had been hired as an assistant coach.
Porter Jr. was the No. 2-ranked recruit in this year’s freshman class, and at six-foot-10 with a natural scoring touch, it wasn’t hard to project his success both in college and the NBA.
“I really appreciate the support of my family and the Mizzou Men’s Basketball program as I begin this process,” said Porter Jr. “I’m thankful for all the kind words and messages I’ve received from fans. Those mean a lot to me. I cannot wait to be completely healthy and playing the game I love, once again.”
The injury is obviously a major blow to Porter Jr. and the Missouri basketball program. It also adds a ton of intrigue surrounding the 2018 draft, which is loaded at the top with Porter Jr., Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton, Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, Texas big man Mo Bamba, and Slovenian teen superstar Luka Doncic— all of whom scouts have said would have gone first overall had they been eligible for this past year’s draft.
We’ve seen many rookies forced to sit out their entire rookie year once drafted (Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Blake Griffin are examples), but it’s far more rare for an elite-level prospect to be sidelined for a year ahead of their NBA eligibility.
That’s not to say it hasn’t happened— and worked out. Kyrie Irving only appeared in 11 games for Duke due to a toe injury but was selected first overall in 2011 despite the small sample size from the year prior.
First overall may now be in doubt (for my money Doncic is the logical choice atop the 2018 draft), but don’t expect the injury to hamper Porter Jr.’s draft stock dramatically.
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