The early portion of the 2017-2018 college basketball season has been (very) weird for projected top-five NBA Draft prospect Michael Porter Jr. and, on Tuesday afternoon, word broke as to why the talented forward has been largely absent from the proceedings at Missouri.
In short, the program announced that Porter Jr. will be going under the knife on Tuesday for what is described as a microdiscectomy and the projected recovery timetable will almost assuredly force Porter Jr. to miss his entire freshman season.
Michael is expected to make a complete recovery, and the Mizzou Men’s Basketball program wishes Michael the best during this process.
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) November 21, 2017
“Our top priority as a program is the well-being of our student-athletes,” Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin said in an official statement. “So Michael beginning this process to be 100% healthy is important to all of us. Our focus has been on Michael’s well-being, just like every other player in our locker room. We will continue to work every day to build Mizzou Basketball into a program to be proud of. We’re preparing now for a trip that is a tremendous opportunity. I’m excited to get after it in Orlando.”
Beyond the thoughts of his coach, Porter Jr. released the following statement through the program.
Statement from #MPJr:
“I really appreciate the support of my family & program as I begin this process. I’m thankful for the kind words & 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.”
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) November 21, 2017
Porter Jr. is joined by Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton and European swingman Luka Doncic as something of a consensus top four in terms of the 2018 NBA Draft and it remains to be seen how this injury will affect his draft stock. In addition, there is at least a tangible potential with this news that Porter Jr. could remain at the college level for an additional season, though that would likely remain a long-shot given his immense talent and upside.
For Missouri at the college level, this is a devastating blow for a team with real expectations this season. More importantly for Porter Jr.’s future, though, there is now real uncertainty as to what his NBA Draft stock will look like, even when assuming a full recovery from this particular ailment.
