Chicago Bulls 2018 NBA Draft Board: Michael Porter Jr.

Welcome to the Chicago Bulls 2018 NBA Draft Board. In this series, I will breakdown and analyze the strengths, weaknesses and perceived fit of 10 draft prospects who the Bulls could potentially select with the No. 7 and No. 22 picks in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Name: Michael Porter Jr.

Position: Forward

Date of birth; Age: Jun. 29, 1998; 19-years-old

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 211 lbs

Wingspan: 7’0”

School: University of Missouri

College stats: Three games played; 10 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, 0.3 assists and one steal per game. He shot 33 percent shooting from the field, 30 percent on 3-point attempts and 77.8 percent on free-throws.

Projected draft selection: No. 5-No. 8

Strengths

Properly evaluating Porter Jr. for the Chicago Bulls is a tall task. He only appeared in three contests, and played 53 minutes, during his lone season at Missouri due to a back surgery which sidelined him for nearly five months. It was clear his extended absence hindered his production when he returned to the court. Porter Jr. scored 28 points on 29 field goal attempts in his two post-surgery games.

However, despite his less than ideal collegiate basketball career, Porter Jr.’s versatile scoring prowess remains evident. He averaged 36.2 points per game during his senior year of high school at Nathan Hale High School and scored 15.8 points per contest on 53.3 percent shooting from the field during the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.

As one could tell by his one-on-one contest with Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. in 2016, Porter Jr. has an uncanny ability to make tough shots.

Porter Jr. gets his shot off with ease. His size allows him to effortlessly rise over the outstretched arms of defenders attempting to contest his jumper. Porter Jr’s high release point on his jumper makes his shot nearly unblock-able.

His soft touch and smooth shooting form make him one of the better shooters in his draft class. Porter Jr. shot over 80 percent from the free-throw line at the Nike EYBL in 2016 and during his senior year of high school. This indicates he’s a better shooter than his collegiate 3-pointer percentage of 30 percent suggests he is.

Porter Jr.’s shooting ability makes him a dangerous player. He’s a threat to score regardless of if he’s making a play for himself with the ball in his hands or he’s working off the ball. He’s just as deadly spotting up and coming off screens for catch-and-shoot opportunities from beyond the arc as he is pulling-up after one or two dribbles.

One of the most impressive parts of the Columbia, Missouri native’s game is his fluidity and effectiveness in the open floor. He’s coordinated enough, and his ball handling skills are solid enough, to the point where he can dribble the full length of the court and attack the basket in transition while defenders attempt to deter him.

Porter Jr.’s mix of size and exceptional athleticism is showcased at its best during fast-breaks when he finishes above the rim.

Although his natural scoring ability is the most enticing part of his game, Porter Jr. brings more to the table. He’s a solid passer with decent court vision.

Even though he experiences struggles on the defensive end of the floor, he’s already showcased the ability to use his athleticism, reach and anticipation to alter opposing players’ shots as a help side defender. Porter Jr. has the physical tools, agility, quickness, and size, to be an above average defender for his position.

Weaknesses

Porter Jr.’s leaves a lot to be desired with his work on the defensive end of the floor. As detailed earlier, it isn’t as if he doesn’t have the tools to be an above average defender. His issues on the less glamorous end of the floor mainly revolve around a lack of effort.

He loses track of his man when he’s playing off-ball defense too often due to a lack of focus. Porter Jr. doesn’t consistently stay in his defensive stance and can be pushed around on the interior because of it. His lack of physicality on the inside causes his rebounding production to dip when players who are similar in size to him crash the boards.

Porter Jr. has offensive improvements to make

Porter Jr.’s lack of grit on the interior hurts him on the offensive end as well. He’ll need to make significant improvements when it comes to finishing at the basket through contact and scoring in the post, especially against smaller players after switches, to make his scoring arsenal more well-rounded.

Another improvement the 2017 Naismith Prep Player of the Year can make on the offensive end are with his ball handling. Porter Jr. is already a solid ball-handler. In fact, he’s exceptional for a player his size.

However, his lack of advanced ball handling skills has made it more difficult for him to create significant separation or move around defenders when he attempts to create a shot for himself in isolation. This results in him having to settle for pull-up, contested jumpers; the kind of looks defenders will have a better chance of alerting in the NBA.

One final aspect of Porter Jr.’s game I’ve wondered if he’ll make small tweaks to is his shooting motion. He gets great arc and rotation on the ball, has a fluid motion, and has a nice release point. However, he uses a lot of his legs by springing upward harder than most players do on his jumper.

This kind of shooting motions takes a lot of energy. It could result in inconsistent shooting success throughout a singular game in the short-term. This shooting motion can also cause even greater variation in shooting production in the long-term.

Porter Jr may need to adjust his lower body mechanics so he’ll have a shooting form that’ll not only be consistent for 48 minutes of NBA game action, but will be as close to reliable as can be for 82+ games of regular and postseason play.

Fit

Porter Jr. believes he’d be a good fit with the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls desperately need quality wings on the roster. It’s an area John Paxson, Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, admitted needs to be addressed by the team during the 2018 offseason.

"“We need to look at the wing position,” Paxson said. “That would be an ideal spot. Size and length at the wing, a shooting component; a defensive component would be something that if you’re looking at an area we would like to improve, that would be it. But depending on where we draft, it’s hard to overlook talent, even when you’re looking at maybe a specific need. We can use versatile players, guys that have length and size and shooting component, those types of things. We’re going to be young, we’re going to be athletic, we’re going to be more skilled, and it’s going to be a team that I think can play at a high level.”"

Outside of the defensive competent, Porter Jr. already checks all the boxes the Chicago Bulls are looking for in a wing.

Porter Jr. can be an elite NBA player

It’s clear the team views guards Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn and forward Lauri Markkanen as the foundational pieces to the franchises rebuild. Even though the on-court fit won’t be seamless since LaVine, Dunn and Markkanen all need their touches, the Chicago Bulls must select Porter Jr. if he’s still on the board. He has the upside to grow into the kind of elite player teams need to become a championship contenders.

Those are the kind of players you don’t pass on if you can draft them. He was considered a player who had a high chance of being drafted with the top pick before the 2017-18 regular season started for a reason.

Porter Jr. doesn’t lack confidence in himself. He said he still believes he’s the best player in this draft class. This is despite experiencing an injury plagued 2017-18 season and his draft mates getting more exposure and attention.

"“I played against all these guys,” Porter Jr. said. “They’ve all obviously gotten better. They’re all great players. I’m not taking anything away from them, but it’s just how I feel. And I feel everybody will know that soon.”"

The 19-year-old combo forward is out to prove himself. If the Chicago Bulls are lucky, they’ll have the fortune of having Porter Jr. prove himself in their jersey and elevate their franchise for years to come.