Missouri Basketball: Jontay Porter emerging as a do-it-all star for 2018-19

Jontay Porter surprised as more productive Porter brother for Missouri Basketball last season. What does he have in store for an encore?

Despite showing supreme talent in high school, Jontay Porter arrived at Missouri Basketball as an afterthought to his highly touted older brother Michael Porter Jr. But after an injury-plagued season led to a draft night slide for Michael, Jontay – fresh off an SEC all-freshman campaign – is now the Porter poised to take over Columbia.

Last season, the younger Porter averaged 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks in just 24.5 minutes per game. He is just the sixth high-major freshman to notch at least nine points, six rebounds, two assists, and one-and-a-half block per night in the last 25 years. Four of the other five players – Miles Bridges, Wendell Carter Jr., Jeff Green, and Donte Greene – eventually became first-round draft picks, and the fifth – Dedric Lawson – has a good chance to get drafted in 2019 after transferring to Kansas this season.

Porter could have been a mid-to-late first-round pick in 2018, but by returning to Mizzou for another season, he has a chance to push his stock into the lottery. Unlike most prospects, age is on his side. Because Porter reclassified and skipped his senior year of high school, he does not turn 19 until this November.

Porter’s passing ability is what set him apart from his peers last season. He finished with the second-best assist rate amongst high-major freshmen that were listed at 6-foot-4 or taller. Freshmen rarely enter the college ranks with any passing skills, especially ones who are 6-foot-11 and should technically still be in high school.

The rising sophomore also has considerable shooting touch. On top of shooting 60 percent at the rim last year, he hit 46 percent of his two-point jumpers, 36 percent of his three-point attempts, and 75 percent of his free throws. Porter flashed deft footwork in the post and a smooth release on pick-and-pop threes (his legs do kick forward a bit too much on his jumpers, but he is only 18 after all).

Tigers’ head coach Cuonzo Martin utilized his budding center as a bench option for much of 2017-18, but by the end of the season, Porter had become one of the team’s leading forces. Over the final 11 games of the regular season, the young lefty dropped 14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, on top of a sparkling 20-42 from the perimeter. Missouri will need more of that assertiveness this season, with Michael Porter Jr. jetting off to the NBA, and Kassius Robertson and Jordan Barnett – last year’s leading scorers – graduating.

If Porter does indeed display a more ferocious side down low, to go along with his already impressive shooting, vision, and youth, he will be able to overcome his lackluster measurables. In a world where everyone and their dog seems to have a wingspan the size of a school bus, Porter’s 7-foot spread “merely” matches his height. In the 2018 NBA Combine, Porter’s 31-inch vertical leap ranked last among the centers that participated. He also posted the highest body fat percentage of all the players at the Combine, and while that is something he can control going forward, he doesn’t necessarily look like a guy who will put on a ton of muscle.

Luckily for NBA scouts, though perhaps unluckily for Mizzou, the SEC will have plenty of quality big men capable of testing Porter this season, including Kentucky’s Reid Travis, Arkansas’ Daniel Gafford, South Carolina’s Chris Silva, and Alabama’s Donta Hall. Should Porter thrive amidst that gauntlet, the questions regarding his toughness and athleticism will subside.

Missouri is counting on Porter’s development to carry the Tigers to another NCAA tournament appearance. If he can establish himself as a fulcrum on offense and a paint protector on defense, Mizzou may prove that last season was more than just a flash in the pan.