BRANSON MO NEWS: One year and two days after Michael Porter Jr. announced his intentions to return to Columbia and join the Missouri basketball team, the projected NBA lottery pick announced his intentions to forgo the remainder of his college career and enter the 2018 NBA Draft.Porter made his plans official via his Instagram page on Monday. He thanked fans, coaches, teammates and his family before revealing his decision.
“I wish I could have been on the floor with my brothers every single night, but I’m so thankful to have been a part of such a special group,” Porter said.Porter entered the 2017-18 season as the cornerstone of first-year coach Cuonzo Martin’s rebuilding process, but, after suffering a lower-back injury less than three minutes into the Tigers’ Nov. 10 season opener against Iowa State, the freshman underwent microdiskectomy surgery that sidelined him until the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.When Porter returned to the court, Missouri went 0-2. Porter scored 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting in the Tigers’ second-round loss to Georgia in the SEC Tournament and 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting in a first-round loss to Florida State in the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.
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After the March 16 loss, Porter responded to questions about his future with the program.“I’ll just talk to the people close to me,” he said then. “I’ve got to do what’s best for me.”While one member of the Porter family is gone, another could be on his way out, too. Porter’s younger brother and teammate, Jontay Porter, has been rising in NBA mock drafts after emerging over the last half of the Tigers’ season and earning co-SEC Sixth Man of the Year honors. His decision must be finalized before 10:59 p.m. CDT on April 22, …
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