Jontay Porter confident he would have been first-round pick, explains why he’s returning to Mizzou
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Mizzou big man Jontay Porter could have followed his big brother — Michael Porter Jr. — to the 2018 NBA Draft this year.
However, after going through pre-draft workouts and taking his time with the big decision, he eventually chose to return to Columbia for his sophomore season.
On Wednesday, Porter told STLToday.com that he’s confident he would have been a first-round pick, but explained he simply wasn’t ready to make the jump to the NBA:
“When I did decide to go back to school, it didn’t matter where I was going to be picked,” he said. “I was going back to school because I realized I didn’t want to take that leap quite yet. I can confidently say — I know the draft isn’t until the 21st — but I’m pretty confident I would have been a first-round pick. That really wouldn’t have been a question. Whether I was top 10 or top 30 I was pretty set on coming back.”
Porter’s father, Michael Porter Sr., said the San Antonio Spurs were particularly interested in Jontay, but they’ll have to wait at least one more year to choose him.
For now, Jontay his heading back to Columbia, and it’ll be interesting to see how his game develops this season.
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.
