Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
Why he’ll have a breakout year
Michael Porter Jr. is as talented as anyone in the 2018 class when healthy (a very important distinction). Porter was ranked as the second-best player in his high school class per ESPN, and if you saw any of the tape he was putting out at that time then you know why.
He’s nearly 7-feet tall, can shoot from everywhere, dribble, and explode to the rim with the best of them. If you were building a body for an elite offensive player, you’d be building Michael Porter Jr.
Porter was forced to sit out the entire 2017-2018 season due to a back injury that he suffered while playing at Missouri so that’s the very obvious red flag when you look at his game. That being said, the Nuggets got a steal when they picked him up at number 14 and I’d expect him to have a really nice 2019-20.
Why he might not have a breakout year
Back in my younger days of elementary school, we had to build bridges made out of balsa wood and then test them to see how much weight they could hold. My bridge ended up being one of the weakest in the class and I was humiliated by how easily it broke. Michael Porter Jr.’s back is the NBA equivalent to my elementary school balsa wood bridge.
Health is the only reason that Porter won’t have a good year and eventually a good career. Although even if he doesn’t have a breakout season and win the rookie of the year in his second year (*cough* Ben Simmons), it would just be nice to see him out on the floor playing in some games. He’s a special talent and the league will be better with him in it.