Does the injury to top 2018 NBA Draft prospect Michael Porter Jr. affect the Philadelphia 76ers?
Today’s biggest NBA news came from the collegiate realm.
In an official statement, Missouri announced that Michael Porter Jr. — who was widely regarded as the No. 1 recruit is his class — will miss 3-4 months with a back injury. This comes after Porter missed the team’s first four games.
In all likelihood, that means Porter will be out for the remainder of his freshman season. Missouri has shown some signs a life without him, but regardless of whether or not the team makes the NCAA tournament in March, it’s difficult to picture them rushing him back into action.
Philadelphia 76ers
Porter has also indicated in the past that he may want to stay at Missouri for more than one season. Being out all season may give him another reason to return, but being a potential top-three pick should inevitably be too much to pass up on. As we saw with Miles Bridges last season, though, being a lottery talent doesn’t always make someone declare.
Assuming Porter does make the jump to NBA ball next season, this injury could (or will) affect his draft stock. Lacking a college resume entirely is a major red flag for many scouts, while doctors’ evaluations will play a significant role in where teams consider taking him.
If he has a clean bill of health come June, we should see Porter coming off the board in the top five. He has been debated alongside Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley III as the top prospect in this year’s class all summer, and that talent alone — not to mention a strong high school and AAU record — should be enough for NBA teams to roll the dice.
If his health status is a bit murkier, though, things might get complicated. It’d take a lot for a talent of his magnitude to fall outside the top 10, but it’s not as difficult to see him outside the top five — especially when you consider the degree of talent at the top of this year’s class.
If that’s the case, it could at least put the Philadelphia 76ers in the conversation. The Lakers won’t sustain their current pace, but may be good enough to lend Philly their pick outside the top five. If that’s the case and Porter falls, Philadelphia should be inclined to either swing a deal and grab Porter or pull the trigger naturally if he falls that far.
Even with injury concerns, that feels like a long shot — so don’t get your hopes up — but there’s at least some semblance of a chance we see Porter’s name mentioned in Bryan Colangelo’s path.
Next: 2018 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0
Previous cases of severe injuries to top picks — Kyrie Irving, Joel Embiid, etc. — should bode well for Porter’s stock, but the draft landscape is always unpredictable. We’ll get a better feel for things next summer.