Could Michael Porter Jr. drop to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Draft?
Michael Porter Jr. will be missing his entire freshman season due to a back injury. Could that force him to drop to the Cleveland Cavaliers?
One of the most electric players in the entire NCAA will now be watching from the bench. Michael Porter Jr., who is possibly the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, will undergo back surgery and be out his entire freshman season. Will that cause his draft stock to dip enough for the Cleveland Cavaliers to snatch with their recently acquired Brooklyn Nets first-round pick?
Michael Porter Jr. was the No. 2 ranked recruit coming out of high school and chose to attend the University of Missouri. Just like Ben Simmons did in 2015, Porter opted not to go to a highly ranked basketball school despite offers from all-around. Regardless of where he went, Porter will now have a huge question mark surrounding his name come draft night. That said, missing an entire season could hurt his draft stock even if he returns in full capacity.
According to Deadspin, Porter Jr. is still in the general consensus for being a top-five prospect.
"The general consensus pegs him as one of the elite prospects available next year, although unlike Marvin Bagley III, DeAndre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba, and Luka Doncic, Porter will have practically no experience playing against Division I or European competition before the draft."
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Porter’s inexperience could drop his stock, and hopefully, it is enough to allow the Cleveland Cavaliers to gamble on the 6-foot-10 forward. Porter is expected to be an elite player at the next level. NBADraft.net is already comparing the 19-year-old to the likes of Kevin Durant and Joe Johnson. That said, under the guidance of LeBron James, Porter could be the rightful heir to the throne in Cleveland.
But, he must drop to them first.
The Cleveland Cavaliers made a mutually beneficial trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for superstar Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Brooklyn Nets 2018 first-round pick. The Brooklyn Nets currently sit at 6-10 and are the Eastern Conference’s third-worst team. Overall, their 6-10 record would land them as the NBA’s 25th best team. Without a lottery, the Nets’ pick would be No. 6. A lottery allows the fate of Porter and other top prospects to be left up to chance.
To be fair, a lottery-style draft is the only way to avoid all-out tanking in the NBA. The Nets, however, will not have to try to lose games to this season. With Jeremy Lin being out the remainder of the season and D’Angelo Russell continuing to miss time, the Nets, who have lost three of their last four, should end up as one of the league’s worst teams. With that hopefully coming to fruition, the Cleveland Cavaliers should easily be a lock for a top-five pick, assuming they keep the pick.
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With the news of this injury, Porter could easily fall to No. 5 where, with a little bit of luck, the Cleveland Cavaliers could scoop up the heir to the throne. There is an array of reasons to love Porter’s long, athletic game, and coupled with LeBron James, he could keep Cleveland on the map for the next decade to come.
He could drop, yes, but it will only be if there is enough uncertainty around him to make other managers question his NBA potential. This entire situation is virtually impossible to predict until July roles around.