Considered a likely No. 1 overall pick before he even stepped a foot on the court for Missouri as a freshman last season, Michael Porter Jr. has seen his draft stock plummet over the past several months.
It started with a mysterious back injury that cost Porter Jr. all but three games during his freshman season with the Tigers. Despite this, the High School All-American declared for the 2018 NBA Draft.
He didn’t do himself any favors following said declaration by skipping out on the NBA’s version of the scouting combine. It now looks like Porter Jr. could be facing a rather steep drop down the draft board next week in Brooklyn.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Porter Jr. has cancelled his workout scheduled for Friday in Chicago because of a strained hip. The injury is said to be so bad that the 6-foot-10 forward couldn’t get out of bed because of spasms.
Though, Givony goes on to report that Porter Jr. and his camp are looking to reschedule the workout prior to the 2018 NBA Draft taking place next Thursday.
Even then, it’s an alarming story this close to the draft itself. For someone with injury concerns in the first place, this could potentially drop Porter Jr. to the end of the lottery when all is said and done. He was previously expected to go as high as No. 2 overall to the Sacramento Kings.