2019 NBA Mock Draft: Murray State’s Ja Morant is rising

CHARLESTON, IL - JANUARY 17: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers is seen before the game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Lantz Arena on January 17, 2019 in Charleston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHARLESTON, IL - JANUARY 17: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers is seen before the game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Lantz Arena on January 17, 2019 in Charleston, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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12. player. 86. . G. USC. Kevin Porter Jr.

Porter is back, but something’s off. Those who predicted or in some cases recommended that Porter sit the rest of the season to heal up from a quad injury and train for the draft look quite insightful at this point, as Porter returned from that injury as well as a team-sanctioned suspension to play in the past two contests but looked considerably less impressive than he did in his early-season offensive explosions.

I watched him against Arizona State on Saturday night and came away worried. Clearly, between potential lingering pain from the quad injury, which he suffered Nov. 20 against Missouri State, and being in coach Andy Enfield’s bad graces, Porter is hampered. In most offensive possessions, Porter was a floor-spacer in the corner, completely uninvolved in USC’s offense. He finished the game 0-4 in 10 minutes with three turnovers. When he did get the ball, Porter deliberated and then look to get rid of the rock. Enfield sat him in crunch time as the puzzling situation got even worse.

One of the draft’s big questions moving forward is whether Porter showed teams enough over the first month of the season when he was projected as a top-five pick, to even stay in the lottery. If not, the slide could be dramatic for another “Porter Jr.” due to injury and attitude concerns after Michael’s fall to the Nuggets last season.

In Minnesota, Porter would give the Timberwolves another playmaker alongside Josh Okogie, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns — a long, versatile option to add to the wing rotation as veterans like Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague filter out.