2018 NBA Mock Draft: What if Memphis wins the lottery?

Porter might be the trendiest pick for “Who to Watch At This Year’s NBA Draft Combine” pieces in the next week or so, with so much to show after a puzzling and incomplete freshman season. Not only does he need to show development that was stolen away from him during his one season with the Tigers, but he also needs to prove that he is fully healthy, with no lingering side effects from the back injury that ate up his season.

NBA executives will have to reckon with the success of Jayson Tatum this season and separate the infrastructure in Boston from how they evaluate similar players (like Porter) moving forward. Tatum is averaging 19 points per game on .459/.311/.836 shooting, but the comparison stops once you realize that the rookie Celtic is so dominant putting the ball on the floor and making difficult shots on the move. The inability to score that way was already Porter’s biggest flaw — a lost season won’t help his outlook there.

Fortunately, Porter would be able to develop without the scoring pressure Tatum had thrust upon him this season. The presence of Dennis Schroder should help immensely, just as Kyrie Irving’s play propped Tatum up for the early part of the season.

And if Porter reaches his ceiling, well, Atlanta has locked up a lead scorer in the first true year of their rebuild.