NBA Draft 2019: 5 targets for the Charlotte Hornets
By Ian Levy
2. Jontay Porter, Big, Missouri
After two serious knee injuries Porter is as big a mystery as there is in this draft class. The brother of Michael Porter Jr., Jontay played 33 games for Missouri in the 2017-18 season before the injuries took hold. During that run, he carved out an extremely interesting niche for himself, one that could translate extremely well to the NBA is he’s healthy. Porter is a 6-foot-11 big with good size and strength but it’s his perimeter skills that are most intriguing.
Porter hit 36.4 percent of his 110 3-point attempts at Missouri and should be comfortable shooting as a stationary spot-up threat and on the move in pick-and-pop situations. He’s was also one of the best passing big men in the country and should be fantastic making decisions on the short-roll. Defensively, ht doesn’t stand out but he’s a smart defender who plays his role and could end up being better than average at that end of the floor. If the Hornets knew they could get anything like the healthy pre-injury Porter, he would be a no-brainer, with a versatile skill set that would be useful in a variety of situations. Exactly how healthy he’ll be and how much he can contribute makes it more of a question.