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Michael Porter Jr. should pull a Kawhi Leonard and sit to preserve NBA future

By Patrick Schmidt

COLUMBIA, MO - DECEMBER 19: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers reacts from the bench during the game against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Mizzou Arena on December 19, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO - DECEMBER 19: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers reacts from the bench during the game against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Mizzou Arena on December 19, 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Top freshman Michael Porter Jr has been cleared for contact but should sit out the rest of the season to avoid aggravating his surgically repaired back.

Michael Porter Jr. was supposed to be one of the top players in college basketball this year and a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. That plan didn’t come to fruition as Porter was injured two minutes into his college career at Missouri and underwent surgery on his back in November.

It was all but inevitable that Porter would sit the rest of the year and head to the NBA after his lone season in Columbia. But now Porter has been cleared for contact and a return to give the Tigers a push into the NCAA Tournament is now a remote possibility.

Porter was cleared for contact, according to Jon Rothstein, but that doesn’t mean he’s been cleared to return to game action. In fact, Porter remains uncertain about returning to the court for Missouri this year, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

I think it’s in the best interest of Porter to continue his rehab and working his way to top shape and avoid aggravating his injury playing for Missouri. The Tigers have three games remaining in the season before the SEC Tournament. At 18-10 and 8-7 in the SEC, Missouri is in the mix for a spot in the NCAA Tournament but is far from a lock.

If Missouri was a lock for the tournament and could benefit from adding Porter to the lineup, which would make them a sleeper to get into the second weekend of the Big Dance, it could be a slightly different scenario.

Porter should have a long and productive career in the NBA and I fear a return to Missouri to salvage any hopes of a berth in the NCAA Tournament could put his long-term future in jeopardy. Back surgery is one of the scariest terms you hear in sports and I’d hate for something to happen to Porter where he injures his back again and his NBA future is suddenly in peril.

If I was advising Porter, I’d suggest he continue doing what he’s been doing recently to get himself prepped for contact. Let him get comfortable with his teammates in practice and see how his body reacts. But I also want to make sure he doesn’t go to the NBA with a pre-existing injury that forces him to miss his entire rookie season. That’s happening far too often in the NBA now as the Philadelphia 76ers know all too well.

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Porter has a chance to be a perennial All-Star in the NBA and there’s too much at stake to risk all of that to play for Missouri this late in the season. Basically, Porter Jr. should pull a Kawhi Leonard and sit out until he’s comfortable enough to play.