Memphis Grizzlies: 5 options for pick No. 4 in 2018 NBA Draft

5. Michael Porter Jr.

Michael Porter Jr. is the least talked about prospect in recent memory.

Porter exploded on to the scene with his high school highlight mixtapes, where he was seen repeatedly dunking over defenders, and putting whoever was defending him through a dizzying array of dribble moves before hitting a 3-pointer in their faces.

When Porter committed be a Missouri Tiger (also his home state), an already formidable roster became that much better. He’d be playing with his brother Jontay Porter, who is also projected to go in the lottery, and the siblings would be coached by their father, who is still an assistant for the team.

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It didn’t’t get much better for Porter… until he suffered a hip injury two minutes into Missouri’s season opener against Iowa State; and then had (what was then believed) to be season-ending back surgery. He would return later on in the season, but it highlights why he’s so low on this list – his injury history.

Let’s be clear though: Michael Porter Jr. could end up being a really good NBA player, and his back injury could never plague him again. He has a decent handle, is an aggressive player and is explosive when healthy. Unfortunately, it’s that “when healthy” part that wasn’t the story during his lone season at Missouri.

In the history of the NBA, there have been many prominent stars whose careers were over before they started or really took off due to nagging back injuries — Yao Ming, Greg Oden, Brad Daugherty, Ralph Sampson and Larry Johnson, to name a few — and that doesn’t bode well for Porter.

Granted, the aforementioned players were all centers and Porter will (assumedly) primarily play at one of the forward positions at the next level, lessening the opportunities he’ll be banging bodies in the paint. Except, when you add in the fact that Porter shot 35 percent on 2-point field goal attempts for a player that loves to take jumpers and drive into the lane, it’s concerning.

The Grizzlies could very well take Porter fourth overall based on his tantalizing upside alone, and no one would blame them – their best wing in recent memory is arguably Vince Carter, and while Vince has still got it, he’s not on the team anymore. Michael Porter Jr. could be the answer, but he’s more of a question mark at the moment.