Michael Porter Jr. Says Reports on His Hip Injuries Were 'Exaggerated'
Michael Porter Jr. is expected to go high in this year's NBA draft, but the former Missouri freshman received lots of attention last week after suffering hip spasms. However, while on The Will Cain Show on ESPN Radio on Monday, Porter said the reports on his injuries "got exaggerated a lot."
"It was just a little sore, so I told [my agent] my hip was kind of sore and he just wanted to shut it down for a couple of days," Porter said. "And then people took that and kind of ran with it, saying, you know, my hip was injured, I couldn't get out of bed. ... None of that was really true. I was just sore and I wanted to take a couple of days off. So that's all that was."
Last Thursday, it was reported that Porter would miss his second Pro Day on Friday after suffering hip spasms. Later that same day, an MRI on Porter returned with a "positive review" and he was cleared to attend Pro Day.
During his one season at Missouri, Porter spent most of the year recovering from a spinal surgery that was initially supposed to keep him out for the year. He left two minutes into the season opener due to a hip injury that led to him undergoing a microdiscectomy on the L3-L4 spinal discs
In three games, Porter averaged 10 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 33.3 percent.
Porter acknowledged that NBA teams are "concerned" about his injuries, but he doesn't feel that it will hold him back.
"I don't want it to take long for me to be one of the best players in the NBA," Porter said. "And I just think that teams see that and see that reward, but they are also a little concerned with the medical stuff. My agent has been great in getting all of that medical information figured out so teams are feeling a lot more comfortable."
Porter is expected to be a high-lottery pick in this year's draft and in his most recent Mock Draft, Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo pegged Porter to go with the No. 5 pick to the Mavericks. According to Woo, Friday's workout was for just lottery teams, and although there are questions about Porter's health, he should be able to stay within the top 10 even if he does fall in the draft.
