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Jontay Porter C, Missouri
SI Mock Draft Projection: No. 45
The tragic downfall of the intriguing 7-foot-2 Bol Bol was well documented on draft night. Falling all the way from a surefire lottery to the No. 44 overall selection has to hurt. Regardless, it’s nothing in the face of Jontay Porter’s tragic descent down the draft board.
Before the collegiate season kicked off, Porter was viewed as a consensus top ten pick, with some experts even placing him in the top five. Unfortunately, he would share his brother’s luck with injuries, tearing his ACL twice in one season.
Given the Porter family’s rich history of terrible injuries, many scouts and general managers were turned off by his chances to ever become a consistent contributor in the league that could withstand a grueling 82 game schedule and postseason run.
Considering all this, Porter’s draft night probably felt like sitting in first class on a plane that’s crash-landing in the ocean. What good does all Porter’s natural talent and hard work do if he can’t stay healthy to utilize it?
Given the Portland Trail Blazers’ history with talented but injured and inconsistent big men, it’s no surprise they didn’t buy a pick in the second-round to scoop up the gifted big man. Now that he’s gone undrafted and unsigned, it should be a different story.
Although he didn’t play during his sophomore season due to the injuries, as a freshman Porter averaged 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game off the bench at Missouri. Additionally, he shot 36.4 percent from deep on over three attempts per game. Porter is one of those rare big men that hold genuine potential as a ‘Stretch 5’.
The Blazers would hold no future financial obligations to Porter if signed to a Summer League or two-way contract. It would be stupid to not gamble on a high potential player like Porter when you’re playing with house money.