NBA Draft 2018: Nuggets take Michael Porter Jr. at No. 14
The Denver Nuggets could have very well gotten the best player in the draft as they take Michael Porter Jr. No. 14 in the 2018 NBA Draft and stop his slide down the lottery.
Michael Porter Jr. was crowned as the crown jewel of the 2018 NBA Draft class at this time last year. Yet, in the year since, things have not gone as planned for Porter Jr. The biggest hiccup coming in the form of a herniated disc that caused him to sit out all but three games during his freshman season with the Missouri Tigers. On top of that, when he did suit up for Mizzou, he looked nothing like the projected number one overall pick.
During the pre-draft circuit, it was reported that Porter Jr. and his representatives were very open with teams and did not hide anything about his medical records. Yet, hip spasms nearly forced him to cancel an evaluation he had set up with multiple teams. If Porter Jr. has a clean bill of health—and the surgeon that did the procedure on him seems to believe that will be the case—then he could turn into the go-to superstar that Denver has been longing since Carmelo Anthony was the toast of the town.
Porter Jr. is the perfect prospect in today’s NBA. He’s 6-foot-11, with a sound jump shot and is comfortable operating away from the basket. The Missouri-native didn’t hold back when he compared himself to Kevin Durant/Giannis Antetokounmpo/Tracy McGrady and while those are lofty goals, Porter Jr. was once placed on a pedestal compared to his peers. If he can stay healthy, there’s a chance that he meets the expectations he set for himself.
Having to have spinal surgery at 19 is a very scary thing for a franchise to accept and the word is his medical reports were the reason for his slide tonight. The risks surrounding him are there for everyone to see. But, if the Nuggets have the assurance that those issues are behind him then they very well could have just secured their next face of the franchise.