By SEAN BOCK
Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. has declared for the NBA Draft, he announced on his Instagram page Monday afternoon.
“It’s been a crazy year but I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in,” the 6-foot-10 Porter Jr. said in his post. “I want to thank my coaches, teammates, and Mizzou nation for the incredible support I’ve received ever since I committed to the university. After talking it over with my family and coaches, I would like to announce that I’m officially declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft.”
Porter Jr. made his return for the SEC Tournament opener on March 8th after he had microdiscectomy surgery of the L3-L4 spinal discs in November after appearing in only two minutes in the Tigers’ opener against Iowa State on Nov. 10.
Porter Jr. also played in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against Florida State and scored 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
In his two games he played after returning from the injury, Porter Jr. averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per contest.
In the latest ESPN NBA Mock Draft, Porter Jr. is the No. 7 pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers (via Nets).