Michael Porter Jr. isn’t trying to be the next Ben Simmons or Markelle Fultz

NEW YORK — Michael Porter Jr. knows all about how Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz could go back-to-back as No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft who also had the distinction of failing to play in the NCAA Tournament.

And Porter Jr. doesn’t want to become the third straight player to follow that path.

“I’m not looking to do that, I’m looking to be my own person,” the 6-foot-10 Missouri commit said here this week at the Jordan Brand Classic, which he was forced to miss due to a sore back. “And I know how Markelle and Ben Simmons did but [at] Mizzou we got pieces. We got players coming back that have been through it and if we get these freshmen, I think we’ll really get it rolling and surprise a ton of people.”

Read the full column on FanRagSports.com.

And check out out my radio interview on Porter Jr. here.

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Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.