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2018 NBA Draft: 5 potential busts

By Adam Tayabali

Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images /
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Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images.
Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images. /

2. Michael Porter Jr. (No. 14) — Denver Nuggets

Michael Porter Jr. suffered a back injury just two minutes into his Missouri debut, which kept him out for a majority of the NCAA regular season. He was able to play in the team’s final two games, where he averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds on 31.0 percent shooting from the field.

Porter won’t be a bust because he fails to produce, but because he may never be able to stay on the court consistently to get the chance. Similar to Derrick Rose, he may show flashes of the great athletic scorer he is, only to be hurt too often to show it.

Other than his physical condition, his character has been called into question. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports writes:

"“But his one and only season at Missouri was derailed by back surgery, and that has allowed the rest of the class of 2017 to shine while we have focused on everything else that comes with drafting Porter. The reputation that he had for the majority of his high school career of being soft. The intel that was coming out of Missouri, that he was cocky and arrogant and something of a bad teammate.”"

It’s unfortunate that his injury risk caused him to slip all the way down to the end of the lottery, but Porter Jr. fits in nicely at the 3-spot with the Denver Nuggets. If he can stay healthy and avoid hurting the chemistry of Denver’s young core, Michael Porter Jr. won’t be the biggest bust of the draft, but the biggest steal.