Should the Chicago Bulls target Michael Porter Jr.?

The Chicago Bulls need help on the wing. Should they be targeting Michael Porter Jr. in the draft?

With Denzel Valentine playing 27.2 minutes per game and 94% at the small forward position and Justin Holiday playing 31.5 minutes and 42% at the same position, the Bulls could benefit from an upgrade.

Michael Porter Jr. is more athletic than both players but lacks a refined playing style. Similar to Lauri Markkanen, the older players could start for 40 plus games at the position and subsequently relinquish the reins to the developing rookie. Porter Jr. has a very appealing offensive game. To envelop, his body type and playing style are built for a 2018 NBA offensive-minded team.

Premonitions, hype, and headlines bolstered Michael Porter Jr.’s highly anticipated debut for the Missouri Tigers. Unfortunately, 2 minutes in and Porter Jr. sauntered to the sideline with a hip injury. Ultimately, he played in 4 collegiate games and recorded 10 points as Missouri fell to Florida State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Presently, is it enough for the Bulls to deem Porter Jr. a bona fide lottery draft pick?

Naturally, it is unreasonable to judge the former number one recruit in the ESPN 100 based on a meager 4 games. Porter Jr. stated it best himself, “I knew coming in I wasn’t 100 percent, more 65-70 percent.” Encompassing, the best way to scout Michael Porter Jr. is by watching his high school action.

At first glance, Porter Jr. is the epitome of today’s ideal NBA jack-of-all-trades player. He stands 6’10’’ and possesses a 7’0’’ wingspan. His standing reach is 9’0’’. Looking at the Mcdonald’s All American game Porter Jr. seemingly had himself a day. He put up 17 points and 8 rebounds on 6-13 shooting, garnering MVP honors. Superficially, this is a very impressive stat-line. Fundamentally, I will expound why his statistics do not tell the whole story by examining specific plays.

Weaknesses

Michael Porter Jr. is on help-side for the initial play. A double screen for opposing point guard Trevon Duval is set and the ball is flipped to Kevin Knox (1:11). Michael Porter Jr. stands Kevin Knox’s opposite, staggering his feet just behind the three-point line. Thereupon, he barely tries to get around Duval’s handoff which first puts him at a disadvantage. Then, as Duval sets a mediocre screen on Porter, Porter’s defensive incompetence is revealed.

Lamentably, Porter Jr. has a lackadaisical and fully upright defensive stance with his hands withered on the side of his body, allowing for Knox to release an uncontested three-point shot from a foot behind the arc. Alas, he will be torn apart by bigger athletes at the next level on the defensive side with a stance like this.

On the very next play (1:23) we see Porter’s lack of awareness on the help-side. Collin Sexton, Alabama standout throws the ball to Trevon Duval on the baseline. Then, Duval catches and is forced baseline, where he drives with a substantial strength for an uncontested layup. Porter is caught sleeping, latching onto Knox for no apparent reason.

A few plays ensuing, we see a fast break started by the East team (1:30). 9 bodies hustle down the floor. Porter Jr., trails the pack and seems especially eager to get on the offensive end. He tries to cherry-pick, paying no attention to his opponent. 

In light of these defensive plays, Porter demonstrates his lack of defensive awareness. Consequently, he will be tugged from the game by Hoiberg when he shows little defensive effort. Defense is clearly not Porter’s priority or his strong suit.

Thereafter, Porter Jr. realizes he has a mismatch against PJ Washington Jr. on the right wing (0:40). Afterward, Wendell Carter Jr. arrives on help-side and abruptly stops Porter Jr. at the baseline. At this point, Trae Young cuts down the middle of the lane wide-open, but Porter Jr. has his back turned and his eyes facing the other way.

Clearly, Michael Porter Jr. needs to work on his vision as he’s driving to the rim. He may be quicker than most guys, but once he gets past the first line of defense, a help-side defender will stop him while a teammate could be wide open under the rim. In this play, Young stopped him and Porter Jr. did not utilize offensive awareness to make the pass.

Essentially, the top young small forwards in the league have the ability to feed the ball to cutting teammates on any given play. Porter Jr. has tunnel vision that can be improved but right now I am worried he can’t pass the ball adeptly. This is reminiscent of Brandon Ingram coming out of Duke, also not known for his passing ability. However, this past season he improved tremendously and dished out 4 assists per game. Hence, Porter Jr. can improve in this aspect given paramount playing time.

At 1:47 we see Porter Jr. swipe the ball on an outlet pass from the East team. As he snatches the ball, his eyes dart directly to the rim. Subsequently, he fakes the ball and moves it to the left. As he does this his teammate, Jaylen Hands cuts to the rim unguarded. Instead of making the easy pass, Porter Jr. opts to out jump the defender, Mo Bamba, whose 7’9’’ wingspan swings violently at the ball. Porter Jr. should have fed the ball to his cutting teammate.

Obviously, choosing to out-jump lanky centers will not suffice. Unfortunately for Porter, he will continue seeing a reach like Bamba’s. Consider him going against a more polished center like Rudy Gobert. In the end, his jumping ability will not make up for his lack of alternative offensive skills.

Strengths

Now, I want to highlight significant plays made by Michael Porter Jr. that makes him an outstanding draft prospect for the Chicago Bulls.

Porter Jr. did have a few positives in the McDonald’s All-American Game. He displayed a special ability to sprint towards the rim on a few plays at (1:08). Clearly, he noticed the East’s lazy transition defense and further capitalized by cutting to the rim with aggression. Succeeding, Trae Young led him with a pass that gave Porter Jr. two charity stripe shots.

Second, Billy Preston rebounded a Jaylen Hands shot and misses the follow (1:23). Porter Jr. stretches his arms out like Michael Jordan in Space Jam and volleyball tips the ball in. After all, this exhibits his explosive ability and his tenacity to grab the ball and put it in the hoop himself.

After, Porter Jr. notices a mismatch against 6’3’’ Duval and proceeds to back him down against the baseline (1:33). Then he received a crisp bounce pass from Trae Young and scores with ease, twisting his body mid-flight to gain a better angle to the rim. Primarily, noticing mismatches is crucial for Porter Jr. He will have a height advantage over smaller guards and a quickness advantage over brawny forwards.

Again, Porter Jr. utilizes his potential in the open-court. He notices the defense sleeping during the transition, thus Trae Young lobs it to him (2:00). Porter Jr. uses his explosive 44-inch vertical to snatch the ball and throw it down with thunderous force.

Overall, Porter Jr. does have an open-court feel and should be able to feast on these types of plays against lazy defenses. Also, he has off-ball, half-court cutting potential. Eventually, he needs to showcase these skills in the league if he aims to be an unwavering offensive threat.

Notwithstanding, he is a combined 3-14 from the college 3-point line from the McDonald’s All-American game and his 3 games played at Missouri. Decidedly, Porter Jr. plays satisfactory defense, has trouble putting the ball on the floor, and has proved to lack necessary vision in finding the open man.

Eventually, Porter Jr. needs to become cognizant of his weaknesses and revamp his strengths. By doing so, he can mutate into a Paul George-type player. For now, his game is raw, analogous to Derrick Williams coming out of college.

Next: Anniversary of Derrick Rose winning MVP

In the end, I see Michael Porter Jr. as a boom-or-bust prospect. Comparably, Mikal Bridges is more of a surefire player. Imminently, it will be interesting to see what the Bulls decide to do. Will they play it safe for a quintessential 3 and D starter or risk it all for a potential perennial all-star?