Michael Porter Jr. 'feeling great,' said injuries 'got exaggerated a lot' ahead of NBA draft

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
Michael Porter Jr. said on Monday that he’s “feeling great” ahead of Thursday’s NBA draft, and that there is “no risk” of re-injuring his back after multiple health concerns. (Getty Images)
Michael Porter Jr. said on Monday that he’s “feeling great” ahead of Thursday’s NBA draft, and that there is “no risk” of re-injuring his back after multiple health concerns. (Getty Images)

Injuries have plagued former Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. throughout his entire collegiate career.

The months leading up to the NBA draft have been no different, either. Just last week Porter was dealing with a hip injury and back spasms, which caused multiple teams to re-evaluate where they should take the 6-foot-11 big man in Thursday’s draft.

Yet that injury, Porter said on ESPN Radio’s The Will Cain Show on Monday, “got exaggerated a lot.” He’s “feeling great.”

“It was just a little sore, so I told [my agent] my hip was kind of sore and he just wanted to shut it down for a couple of days,” Porter said on The Will Cain Show. “And then people took that and kind of ran with it, saying, you know, my hip was injured, I couldn’t get out of bed. … None of that was really true. I was just sore and I wanted to take a couple of days off. So that’s all that was.”

Porter, when fully healthy, is widely considered to be one of the most talented players in this year’s NBA draft. ESPN has him currently ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the draft, and Marc Stein of the New York Times reported Monday that the Sacramento Kings — who hold the No. 2 pick — are contemplating taking Porter right away.

However, few in the country have actually had the opportunity to see him play.

Porter played in just three games for the Tigers, injuring his back in their opening game against Iowa State in November. That injury forced him to have surgery on his L3 and L4 spinal disks. Porter did return for Missouri’s final two games of the year.

Now, though, he said on The Will Cain Show that his back is completely fine.

“I have no issues with it,” Porter told Cain. “There’s no risk of reinjury … every MRI that I’ve done is perfect.”

He even said he might get a workout or two in with teams before Thursday’s draft.

“It’s a possibility,” Porter told Cain. “I feel good. … I got evaluated. I let the doctors come in and do all their tests on me. I’m feeling good. I think the teams are comfortable, but I might get a couple workouts in.”

More from Yahoo Sports:
• Why Luka might be the safest bet in NBA draft
• Brooks Koepka wins second straight U.S. Open title
• Russian taxi plows into crowd, injuring Mexican World Cup fans
• Mike Leach spends Father’s Day arguing about Obama conspiracy video