Following NBA Draft, Cuonzo Martin discusses how Michael Porter Jr. changed the Mizzou program
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Coming out of high school, Michael Porter Jr. was one of the top handful of recruits in the country, considered the No. 1 player by some recruiting services.
He chose to attend Missouri, but sadly, could only appear in three games after suffering a back injury in the season opener.
On Thursday night in Brooklyn, concerns about that back injury caused Porter to fall all the way to No. 14, where the Denver Nuggets drafted him. However, Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin is still thankful MPJ came to Columbia.
In a conference call on Friday, Martin said Porter changed the entire trajectory of the Mizzou program, giving the Tigers more national exposure than they’d received in recent years (via STLToday.com):
“The minute he said he was going to Missouri it changed the trajectory of our program,” Martin said on a conference call Friday. “The perception of our program changed all around the country.
“I think we were probably one of the most talked-about college programs in America. He had a lot to do with that. The branding, the marketing, he did a lot of that just by saying, ‘I’m going to Mizzou.’ That really helped us out a lot, the perception of our program all around the country now with high school prospects. And Mike was the most talked-about guy last night. Rightfully so. He earned it. You don’t become the No. 1 high school guy in America by luck. He put the work in.”
If Porter is healthy, the Nuggets may have gotten the steal of the draft, as he likely would have been a top-three pick if he played all season.
Now, Martin and the Tigers are moving on to life without Porter. However, one immediate byproduct of Michael’s decision was his brother, Jontay, heading to Mizzou as well, and the younger Porter brother will be back and ready to prove he should be a top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
