JULY 19, 1:30pm: Porter’s surgery involved the lumbar spine, and there is no timetable for him to start playing again, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
JULY 18, 9:46pm: Per Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Nuggets rookie forward Michael Porter Jr., who was recently selected by Denver with the No. 14 overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, had a second surgery on his back last week.
Porter, 19, who ultimately slid to the Nuggets on draft night due to worries about his ongoing back issues, first underwent back surgery in November of last year, which limited him to just three games during his freshman season at Missouri.
The latest procedure, according to Porter’s camp, has led to a greater understanding of Porter’s herniated-disks condition, thereby boosting he and his team’s confidence that he will be able to move on from the injury more quickly and begin his NBA career without having to sit out the 2018-19 season.
Per Aschburner, a spokesperson for the Nuggets declined to speak when reached for comment but did indicate that an update on Porter’s health from the team’s medical staff would be forthcoming.
As we relayed at the beginning of the month, Porter has already signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets, which will see him earn a salary of just over $2.41MM in his rookie season.
RIP 76ers Redshirt Pipeline
Would have taken the chance on him over Smith. Would have kept Bridges too tho.
Bridges seemed like an ideal fit for Philly, no clue why they moved him.
Normally I’d agree with you, but getting another solid player in Zhaire AND an unprotected first rounder several years down the road (in a draft that HS seniors could be part of) is just too good to pass up…that’s why they moved him
Heat are never bad historically, 2 Top 5 picks this century.
Yeah but if they continue down the path of mediocrity they’re on now, it could be a mid to late lottery pick, and then it’s all up to the ping pong balls.
We’re only 18 years in, so the century marker is a bit perplexing.
How was Bridges an ideal fit for Philly? You want another slasher on the court with Simmons who needs the ball in his hand? Smith is a perfect complimentary piece
Bridges was the best D and 3 player in this draft. I think youre thinking of miles not Mikel.
All those fans of teams with lottery picks, cursing their team for passing on this guy… here ya go. I feel bad for the kid, an immense talent. BUT, yet to play a tic in the league and already having another back surgery.
Just like those fans were being premature, it’s premature to write him off just yet.
Obviously, none of us fans, have the complete and total story, nor his medicals, but it really sounds like this last surgery was more of a relative “cleaning-up” procedure.
With that being said, if I were a Nuggets fan, I would be happy getting this news. Simply because, I think this second surgery provides more insight into his back issues after his first surgery.
What had me worried was the fact he was still so visibly limited after having and recovering from his initial surgery..Now, that he’s having this second surgery, that tells me that they know more about his back, and they were confident enough to immediately decide to act on that information, resulting in a positive outlook moving forward…
Basically, I’m saying, alot of people will look at this solely as a second surgery, and they’ll look at it in a negative manner..BUT, I think this second surgery is more of a means to an end, hopefully solving his back issues. This second procedure should allow MPJ to move forward, with his back issues behind him..
Not convincing.
You don’t sound so sure…
Latest procedure will lead to a greater understanding of his Herniated discs? How much more do you need? Unfortunately, wasted pick. The guy looked like he had some skeels too. Mashed discs do not heal, they do not get better, they are not conducive to a great NBA career. Bummer
Exactly. When it comes to the back, 2nd surgery leads to a 3rd surgery and so on.
Second back surgeries rarely work out well. I think they’re long odds he ever plays anywhere near his potential.
Back surgery in general is a crapshoot and never a good option even when it might be the best option.
Agreed. My brother had back surgery, and he was good for about 7 years. Now, unfortunately, he’s having trouble again — in the exact same area. And this is a guy who doesn’t do physical labor or play sports. For a person that plays an intense physical sport, like basketball, back issues are always going to be a problem.
Well what a bunch of negative people, we simply don’t know, but we can always give the benefit of the doubt to the kid, still a teenager, I do think he will recover well & become a star in the league. Which would be the best for all fans of all teams, to have another great player to enjoy. Sorry I just like to be more positive, & the sounds of this comment is good, they said he won’t be missing the season, so they believe… so do I.
well, what we do know is the dozen or so teams that passed on him draft night, all paid to have a specialist do a physical. the team that drafted him did not and so did not have his medical results
Watching his pros/cons video pre-draft I do feel he has a serious physical problem. He plays very upright with limited lateral movement. I hope he figures it all out.
Exactly. A tall stiff 3pt shooter with fast legs. Reminded me of Michael Johnson 400 meter man.
Reading some draft experts give teams draft grades, some (i.e.CBS) summarized about 10 teams by chiding them for not taking Porter. He didn’t have to worry about risk.
Damaged goods … thank god the Knicks stayed away. He can still come back but it will be a tough road. Big men and back injuries no bueno.
“I’m the best player in the draft.” — Michael Porter Jr.
Yeah you are. Because you just played Denver like a cheap fiddle.
How did Porter Jr play them? Not a single team was unaware of his back issues. It was well documented. I do think Denver made a smart move though. They are a good team that took a chance on a guy, who if he can return to health in the next year, can be a potential all-star. They could afford to take that risk as opposed to the Cavs and Knicks which really, really needed to draft someone that could have an immediate impact. Not that they will compete for anything substantial in the next 2 years but more to satiate a fanbase used to their foul-ups.
Hope the young man gets better but the prognosus for herniated discs in to favorable one to play the game NBA bs
Greg Oden 2.0. It’s a shame when someone has so much talent but an inability to stay healthy enough to showcase it. Hopefully I am wrong and this will just be a footnote in his history, but the human body can only take so much injury before it weakens considerably.
So far, Porter’s only problem has been his back. Hopefully he’ll be able to be like Joel Embiid and recover in time.
Remember when Knicks fans boo’d Kevin Knox at the draft because they wanted Michael Porter Jr? And now they love Knox because he played really well in the summer league.
On a serious note, this issue is why Porter slipped in the draft. Denver knew the risk they were taking with Porter but with the talent on their team pre-draft, they were likely comfortable with taking it slow with him. While the back is a huge concern, you can’t deny the talent that Porter has and if he is able to get close to what he was then Denver will be getting a guy that was considered to be a top 3 talent at one point.
Not really on the first part. All the Knick fans that I know (and it’s quite a few) wanted them to take Mikial Bridges, not MPJ. Knick fans are beaten down and depressed, but not silly.
Generally, it would be silly for fans to affirmatively root for their team to draft a guy who missed an entire season (his only college one) with an injury like this one against the team’s better judgment. As fans, we go out on enough of limb questioning our team’s talent evaluations of players, but at least there we have a lot of the same information. Questioning a team’s judgment on a player where medical risk is involved presents as silly (unless the fan in question is an orthopedic surgeon that has access to the player’s medical records).
You’re also talking about a fan base that, for the most part, hated the KP drafting because half of these “fans” never heard of him before. And now he’s their Unicorn. I live in New York and I know about an equal amount of Knicks fans that wanted Porter, Mikal Bridges, or Kevin Knox. I agree that Porter shouldn’t have been their target considering his injury history. But there were/are plenty of Knicks fans who wanted him at the draft because he came with top 3 pick potential.
Watched him several times in high school. Never felt he would be a star, but maybe a serviceable player for 6 or so years. Can’t deny the talent but his drive is questionable at best. Very unfortunate to see talent killed by injuries and drive.
Porter is damaged goods … thank god the Knicks stayed away.
Good luck with this guy. I do know backs and the realistic outlook on anyone with herniated disks in the lumbar region let alone a pro basketball player isn’t very good. It’s possible he carves out a career for a few years then tries China or Europe. He should go back to school and get an education in something he enjoys doing and hopefully he can do that until he applies for a disability retirement plan.