What NBA Draft prospect Michael Porter Jr. lacks in experience, he more than makes up for in confidence. The 6-foot-10 forward played only 53 total minutes as a freshman at Missouri last season after a back injury relegated him to the sidelines, but he still considers himself the best player in the 2018 NBA Draft class.
"I know without a doubt that I'm the -- I played against all these guys, they're all great players -- but I'm the best player in this draft," Porter said via ESPN. "And I just can't wait to show what I'm capable of."
Porter was the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2017 and a consensus five-star prospect who joined the Tigers program with lofty expectations. However, his back injury two minutes into the season required surgery, and he missed the remainder of the regular season before returning to log 51 minutes in the SEC and NCAA Tournament combined.
Porter underwent extensive rehabilitation to get back onto the court for Missouri and said that the back injury, which occurred during his sophomore season in high school, is no longer a hindrance as he prepares for the NBA.
"[Experts] had me as the No. 1 player in high school, but I didn't even feel like I was at 100 percent," Porter said. "But I do now, so I'm just excited to show everybody the player that I am, and I'm still the best player.
'[Doctors] said the [injury] site has healed fully. I just got to keep up with my stretching, my core exercises. They think I should be fine."
It's unlikely Porter is drafted No. 1 overall in the draft, but if he's given a clean bill of health and his medicals come back positive, he could be a prospect who rises up draft boards. CBS Sports Insider Gary Parrish has Porter falling to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 4 overall in his latest mock draft, which seems like a best-case scenario for one of the draft's most tantalizing talent that has injury questions in his past.
