By SEAN BOCK
After having microdiscectomy surgery of the L3-L4 spinal discs in November, Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. was told he was done for the season.
But, in a press conference Friday afternoon, Porter Jr. said he may be on the verge of coming back earlier than expected.
“To me and how I feel right now, there is a good chance,” Porter Jr. said. “I think the doctors are going to be amazed at my progress.”
The Tigers are currently 16-8 overall and 6-5 in SEC play and are a No. 9 seed in ESPN Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology.
Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin said following his team’s win over Ole Miss on Feb. 6 that “he wouldn’t be shocked” if Porter Jr. played this year.
“If it were up to me, I would love to get a couple games under my belt before hopping into tournament play,” Porter Jr. added. “If I’m ready to go, then I’m ready to go.”
Days after his surgery on Nov. 26, Porter Jr. posted on his Snapchat story “whoever said it was gonna take 3-4 months to recover lied,” creating even more speculation among the college basketball world.
In the latest ESPN NBA Mock Draft, Porter Jr. is the No. 6 pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite only playing two minutes this season.
