Top Prospect Michael Porter Jr. Likely Out For Season

Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr. is set to undergo back surgery on Tuesday and will likely miss the remainder of the college season, the program announced today (via Twitter). According to the announcement from the school, the procedure – a microdiscectomy of the L3-L4 spinal discs – has a projected recovery time of three or four months.

Porter suffered the injury just two minutes into Mizzou’s season opener on November 10, and the team had been tight-lipped about the nature and severity of the ailment since then, simply calling it a leg injury. ESPN’s Jeff Goodman had reported on Monday (via Twitter) that Porter was meeting with a specialist, so the decision to undergo surgery may have been finalized at that point.

Porter, a freshman, is considered one of the top prospects for the 2018 NBA draft, with Jonathan Givony of ESPN recently ranking him second in the class, behind only Luka Doncic. While the school says (via Twitter) the 6’10” forward is expected to make a full recovery, back problems have a tendency to pop up again down the road — NBA teams will certainly be keeping a close eye on Porter’s rehabilitation process.

It remains to be seen how the injury will impact the freshman’s draft stock, with Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, and DeAndre Ayton among the other players who had been battling Porter for the No. 1 spot. For now though, the focus is on the youngster’s well-being, as Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said in a statement.

“Our top priority as a program is the well-being of our student-athletes, so Michael beginning this process to be 100% healthy is important to all of us,” Martin said. “Our focus has been on Michael’s well-being, just like every other player in our locker room.”

View Comments (11)