Last Season: Michael Porter Jr., the MVP of the 2017 McDonald’s High School All-American game, was limited to just three games in college for the Missouri Tigers due to a back injury. Sample sizes don’t get much smaller than that, but he showed plenty of potential with averages of 10.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
Porter has a fluid jump shot. He runs the court well – and that should improve exponentially as he is able to get himself into true basketball condition. He can handle the ball in the open court and projects as being able to consistently get a defensive rebound, go coast-to-coast and finish. The most impressive aspect of his game right now is his rebounding. And he is not afraid of big moments. He wants to have the ball in his hands to take critical shots late in games.
Defensively, he has the length for recovery blocks and chase down blocks. Porter’s full defensive potential has only scratched the surface. There are building blocks of some good things, and he’ll work hard to fulfill them.
2018-19 Outlook: The Nuggets and Porter Jr. are in the midst of rehab to get his back to a space where it is 100 percent healthy, so whenever he returns he can play with no setbacks. There is no guarantee he’ll take the court this season, and the Nuggets have not put any timetable on when he will be ready to make his debut.
Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter