How Michael Porter Jr.’s injury affects the 2018 NBA Draft

Michael Porter Jr., a projected top-five pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, could be out for the season, which will likely shake things up.

Injuries are a terrible but unavoidable aspect of sport with unforgiving consequences. College basketball felt the shockwaves of one such injury when Missouri announced Michael Porter Jr. was likely done for the season.

Following back surgery, Porter is expected to miss 3-4 months, which will likely encapsulate the entire remainder of the college season.

This obviously affects the high hopes Missouri had in the SEC, but it also could affect the 2018 NBA Draft too. In terms of the draft the effect is two-fold: 1) It affects Porter’s own stock and future, and 2) It opens the doors for more guys to enter the top-five conversation.

Michael Porter Jr.’s stock

With nothing written in stone in mid-November, Porter was a legitimate projected top-five pick for the 2018 NBA Draft. He had a chance based off his freshman year to make a case to even be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Given this injury, we can all but rule him out for that spot, and likely the top-three, even top-four. As long as his health relatively checks out leading up to the NBA Draft, it’s hard to see him dropping further than fifth or sixth.

However, with a monstrous foursome of Mohamed Bamba, DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Luka Doncic, who have all played very well, it would be tough to pass on one of them for an injured Porter. Hopefully the injury is not too serious and Porter can bounce back.

If he declares, he’s a lock for the top-10 unless his health looks bad long-term. That’s because he’s a legitimate three-level scorer at 6’10”. Porter is a shooting guard in a power forward’s body, built for the modern NBA.

An opportunity for others

While it is a shame that we won’t get to see him and that his draft stock may get affected, it does open the door for a few more players to make strong top-five claims. In fact, if a few players have strong seasons, an NBA team picking in that 5-10 range may have a difficult decision on their hands.

So far, we might be heading in that direction. We’ve already seen stellar starts by freshmen Collin Sexton and Jaren Jackson Jr., as well as stud sophomores Robert Williams and Miles Bridges. Sexton and Jackson are definitely the biggest threats to creep into that top-five conversation.

Sexton has looked like a dynamo scoring point guard through his first three games. The freshman is averaging 25.3 points and 4.7 assists per game while hitting 7-of-15 shots from 3-point range to start the year. Add in his intensity and defensive toughness and if he can sustain this, look out.

As for Jackson, his numbers don’t pop as much as Sexton’s, but his play does. In only 20 minutes per game, Jackson is putting up 10.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He’s also 3-for-7 from 3 to start the year. With his potential to score off lobs, from 3, protect the rim and defend in space, he has an incredible amount of potential. Like Sexton, he plays really hard which NBA teams should love.

Next: 2018 NBA Draft Big Board - Mid-November

In a world where a collection of Jackson, Williams, Bridges and Sexton rise to the occasion, and say Anfernee Simons declares for the NBA Draft following his post-grad high school season at IMG Academy, NBA teams in the top-10 will have their work cut out for them. Porter could still end up as a top-five pick, but things definitely just got interesting at the top of next year’s draft.