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Phoenix Suns scouting: Michael Porter Jr.

By Joseph Lowery

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 16: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers plays against the Florida State Seminoles during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 16: Michael Porter Jr. #13 of the Missouri Tigers plays against the Florida State Seminoles during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /
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We have already profiled a few of the draft’s most talented prospects. Today, we are going to take a look at another highly touted player: Michael Porter Jr.

College Career

A huge prospect coming out of high school, Michael Porter Jr. (MPJ) followed his dad to play college basketball at Missouri. Unfortunately, just two minutes into Missouri’s regular season, MPJ went down with a back injury. Forced to undergo spinal surgery, he ended up missing all but the last two games of the season. Even with Porter back, Missouri’s season ended in a predictably unfortunate way: with a first round NCAA Tournament loss to Florida State.

Strengths

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Just looking at Michael Porter Jr. makes it very easy to identify a chief strength: his build. At 6’10” with a 7′ wingspan, Porter is poised to be one of the lengthiest wing players in the entire NBA. Porter’s length helps him beat his man to the rim with a long, quick first step. For such a tall player, MPJ looks comfortable dribbling out on the wing. He has a nice hesitation set up dribble that allows him to suck his defender in before driving right by him to the basket. Porter is also more than capable of acting as the ball handler in pick-and-roll situations.

Defensively, Porter’s long arms added to his athletic ability, allow him to reach into passing lanes and take up added space on defense. With his wingspan, Porter also has the potential to be a big time shot blocker.

Overall, Porter Jr. is an extremely well-rounded, unique player. His build, coupled with his comfort on the perimeter make him a real scoring threat at the NBA level.

Weaknesses

With only limited tape on MPJ, it is difficult to poke holes in his game. He never had the chance to show a consistent 3-point stroke at Missouri, but typically shot very well in high school. We haven’t really seen Porter deal with bigger, stronger college players either. This means that we can’t be sure of how his defense will translate to the NBA either.

Still, with that said, the real thing hurting Michael Porter Jr.’s draft stock is his injury. Teams have a right to be concerned about Porter potentially re-injuring his back.

Between a small college sample size and an injury history, we could see Porter fall a few spots in this year’s draft.

Next: Phoenix Suns Scouting: Luka Doncic

Why would Phoenix Suns want Michael Porter Jr.?

Because he is one of the most talented prospects the NBA has seen over the last decade. Porter has a crazy combination of height, length, and skill. If MPJ can become a consistent outside shooter and prove that he is physically ready for the NBA, he will be a star in this league for years to come. Imagine sliding Michael Porter Jr. right next to Devin Booker in the starting five.

Now that is a fearsome one-two punch.

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