Michael Porter Jr., SF/PF, Missouri
While people have said that Porter Jr. is 100 percent healthy, he certainly didn’t look like it in his return to the floor against Georgia in the SEC Tournament last week.
It would have been impossible for Porter Jr. to impress scouts with the amount of hype he had coming into the season as one of the most talented incoming freshman.
He lacked a certain explosiveness and definitely looked like a player that hadn’t played a live game in almost six months.
Although he finished with just 12 points, Porter was certainly eager to shoot and looked confident despite struggling to start.
This didn’t hurt his draft stock as he will likely still declare for the draft and be a top-10 selection, but he has the opportunity to help his stock in the tournament.
Missouri has a favorable matchup with Florida State in the first round, and if they’re able to win that game they’ll face the top seed in their region, Xavier.
This will be a prime opportunity for Porter Jr. to show off his full array of skills and help the Tigers upset Xavier, which is not out of the realm of possibilities.
Next, we’ll take a look at a player who isn’t often talked about, but will likely be picked in the back half of the lottery.