The last week or two of NBA Draft rumors have seemed to center around one name: Michael Porter Jr. Despite the fact that back surgery caused him to miss most of his only season at Missouri, Porter appears to be skyrocketing up boards as we enter the home stretch of draft season.
It’s not hard to see why people would fall in love with his game, as Porter is a really good athlete at 6’10 and possesses the ability to score from all over the floor. While there are plenty of questions about him — both related to his health and portions of his game where he can stand to improve — Porter is a guy who has star potential if everything works out.
The rumblings over the last week have involved teams atop the draft wanting to swing for the fences and contemplating taking Porter. The latest of these teams, according to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports, are the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 4.
The Kings aren’t the only top five team wrestling with the Michael Porter Jr. question: I’m told the Grizzlies are still seriously considering him at No. 4 – health concerns and all – after today’s medical display for lottery teams. Like Sacto, trading down is a possibility too.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 16, 2018
Memphis has been a strange team to peg this draft season, mostly because they’ve been kind of all over the map. The Grizzlies are built around a pair of veterans in Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, which is why it’s so hard to figure out what is the best course of action. Should they trade the pick, either to move down and accumulate other assets or to move Chandlers Parsons’ contract? Or should they stay at No. 4 and hope to get a potential foundational piece to play alongside their veterans?
Both paths make sense for Memphis, and it’s going to be fascinating to see what the end up doing during the final few days leading up to the draft.
