Missouri Basketball: Michael Porter Jr. a case of what could’ve been
Michael Porter Jr. declared for the 2018 NBA Draft on Monday, ending a college career that proved to be all too short.
Two minutes into the college basketball season, everything changed. Just like that, Michael Porter Jr. was virtually done as an amateur hooper.
Sure, he would eventually come back during the SEC Tournament, playing some uninspiring minutes in a loss before playing in another loss, this time in the NCAA Tournament.
That’s right: Porter Jr. won just one game in his entire college career.
Now he’s headed to the NBA, which the forward announced on Instagram on Monday. He’s not looking back either, planning on hiring an agent, which will officially close the collegiate portion of his career.
During his ballyhooed freshman year, Porter Jr. played just 53 minutes, scoring 30 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.
Tigers fans will always see his brief time in Columbia, Missouri through a bittersweet prism. On the one hand, he brought an unrivaled sense of excitement and optimism to a program in desperate need. His brother reclassified to play with him. Next year’s recruiting class suggests the energy Porter Jr. brought was palpable.
But he barely played. A back injury forced him out for almost the entire season. After November 10, the freshman never played another minute in front of his home fans.
Worst of all, perhaps, Missouri couldn’t build a winning product fast enough. They managed to withstand the loss of their best player relatively well, treading water long enough to earn a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. When Porter Jr. returned, however, the team couldn’t reintegrate him fast enough to fulfill the promises he brought to the program.
Now, he never will.
It’s hard to fault Michael Porter Jr. for leaving. His draft stock remains that of a top pick, allowing him to cash in on his immense physical gifts in the next three months. Moreover, a lifelong dream is within reach.
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But it will be hard to look at his college career in any way besides the thought of what could have been.