Porter Jr. has had a tough stretch of NBA seasons so far, as yet another lower-back injury caused Porter to miss out on yet another season of action. After just signing a five-year $207 million extension with the Nuggets the previous year, many had begun to question if Porter could stay healthy.

Coach Michael Malone recently commented on Porter and said his main hope is that the Missouri product “stays healthy and gets through the season.

“The one priority for Michael is to hope that he stays healthy and gets through the season,” Malone said. “If he does that offensively, we know how gifted he is. The guy can score from all over the place. He is such a threat and weapon on the offensive end of the floor.”

In Porter’s recent preseason outing versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, Porter seemed to be clicking offensively, dropping 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field in just 14 minutes of action. When MPJ was questioned about where he feels physically, he said he feels “really good right now.”

“I feel really good right now. I feel just as good as I have since I’ve been in the League. Still a lot of things I want to improve on, get better on, but I feel like, for now, it’s going to be steps up. Keep going up, keep going up until I keep reaching those goals, helping my team win, things like that. I kind of figured out the back thing, Lord willing. I think I kind of figured that out. So, now I can just keep growing and growing. I spent a lot of my offseason just getting back on the floor. So now, to be back where I’m on the court, I just feel like I can grow from here.”

MPJ was also asked if his confidence was back.

“It doesn’t leave me. My confidence in my game doesn’t leave me. But confidence in movement, I’m still working through all that. But I’m good. I feel really good. My balance is getting there. It’s coming along. That’s the last thing, the last pop, the last bit of explosiveness is kind of what you wait on the most. But it is getting there, for sure. Every week, every month, it’s getting better and better.”

Seeing Porter back on the basketball court after dealing with such severe and nagging injuries is genuinely remarkable. Heading into this new NBA season, Porter will also be joined by another sensational talent in Jamal Murray, who the Nuggets missed last season due to injury. With those two back, the Denver Nuggets have a huge opportunity to make a deep playoff run and possibly even win the championship.

With the Nugget’s season set to tip off tonight against the Utah Jazz, their journey begins to see if they can achieve those goals.

The post Michael Porter Jr. Opens Up About His Confidence Within His Body and Game appeared first on SLAM.

His imminent return alongside Jamal Murray and back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic has made the Nuggets a threat to win the 2023 NBA Championship. However, Nuggets Coach Mike Malone still thinks Porter Jr. has room to improve. 

“I think if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse,” Malone said. “I really feel that way. You never say the same, any of us. So for Michael, yes, he’s dealt with the injuries but understanding that for him, it’s a discipline within his offensive spacing. Get to the corner. Getting to the corner is not stopping above the break. He’s not a good; he’s a great corner three-point shooter. Well, have the discipline to get there every time.” 

Porter has averaged 14.1 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game over his four-year career. In his most productive season as a professional, the 2020-2021 campaign, Porter Jr averaged 19 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54.2 percent shooting from the field and 44.5 percent shooting from the three-point line. 

Malone says the former lottery pick must also work on his off-ball awareness.

“Moving without the ball and spacing off the ball. He has the tendency, sometimes, to gravitate to the ball. Trust me, man, the ball is gonna find you. That’s the way we play.” 

Despite playing in 125 of 309 possible regular season games in his four-year career, MPJ earned a five-year contract extension last summer. The Nuggets will look for him to take another jump after he competed in only nine games last season before being sidelined by injury. 

The post Coach Mike Malone Hoping to See More ‘Discipline’ From Michael Porter Jr. appeared first on SLAM.

According to Mike Singer of the Denver Post, Michael Porter Jr. will head to the Nuggets G-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, to practice and scrimmage sometime this week.

Singer also reported that Porter recently underwent his first 1-on-1 contact drills since his initial injury.

Porter has been out for the Nuggets for most of the season since undergoing what was initially thought to be season-ending back surgery in November of 2021.

However, more recent reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that Porter and fellow superstar teammate Jamal Murray could both return to play for the Nuggets before the start of the playoffs, with Porter potentially coming back as early as mid-March.

Murray has been out since April of 2021 after suffering a torn ACL in a game against the Golden State Warriors.

Porter struggled to start the season before being removed from the team due to injury, averaging 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on 35.9% shooting and 20.8% shooting from three in the nine games he played in Denver this year. Those numbers are well below those he put up last season when he averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 54.2% shooting and 44.5% shooting from distance.

Despite the absence of two of the Nuggets’ best players, Denver has had a strong season sitting sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 36-25.

The post REPORT: Micheal Porter Jr. to Scrimmage With Nuggets G-League Team appeared first on SLAM.

Some good news coming from #Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly, on @AltitudeSR, on the status of both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., saying he thinks they will physically cleared to return “hopefully in the not too distant future.”

— Chris Dempsey (@chrisadempsey) February 11, 2022

When Murray makes his way back to the court, it’ll be the first time he’s played for the Nuggets since tearing his ACL last April. Porter hasn’t played since undergoing surgery on his lower back in November.

Murray averaged 21.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists per game before getting injured. Porter played nine games before going under the knife and averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 boards, and 1.9 dimes per game.

The Nuggets are 30-24 under the MVP-led play of Nikola Jokic, sitting at sixth place in the always competitive Western Conference.

The post Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Close to Return appeared first on SLAM.

Sources: Nuggets guard Austin Rivers has entered health and safety protocols and is expected to miss several games, including tonight’s game vs. Orlando. Another loss to the Denver lineup, now without Rivers, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 1, 2021

Rivers initially signed with the organization back in April to bolster the teams’ back-court depth. He re-signed with the Nuggets in September, agreeing to a one-year $2.4 million deal. The Nuggets, meanwhile, haven’t seen typical production from Rivers as of late, with the 29-year-old playing a limited bench role, averaging 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game while shooting 34.6 percent from the field.

Rivers absence is the latest health and safety protocol domino to fall, with LeBron James entering protocols yesterday before the Los Angeles Lakers matchup with the Sacramento Kings and League insider Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that Bones Hyland will join Rivers in health and safety protocols.

The removal of Rivers from the lineup for the foreseeable future only intensifies the Nuggets’ lack of bodies with P.J. Dozier suffering a torn ACL, Jamal Murray continuing to rehab his torn left ACL, and losing Michael Porter Jr. to a back surgery indefinitely.

The post REPORT: Austin Rivers Sidelined After Entering Health and Safety Protocols appeared first on SLAM.

Nuggets F Michael Porter Jr., will undergo a surgical procedure on his lower back and miss an indefinite period, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Bartelstein says Porter’s expected to make a full recovery; timetable on return will come after surgery.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 29, 2021

According to his agent, Mark Bartelstein, the operation will happen Wednesday, and Porter is expected to make a full recovery. League insider Shams Charania has reported that his sources said that Porter would be out for the remainder of the season. The Nuggets are reportedly taking a “big picture approach to his health” as his five-year extension begins next season.

Sources: Denver forward Michael Porter Jr. is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to back surgery. Tough blow, but with Porter’s five-year extension kicking in next season, he and the Nuggets take big-picture approach to his health.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 29, 2021

Porter will be undergoing third back surgery since 2017 when he experienced a microdiscectomy procedure of the L3 and L4 spinal disks during his freshman season at Missouri. His second came during his rookie season in 2018 when he had a “breakthrough surgery” to help alleviate his back issues.

The Nuggets are currently 9-10 and have been dealing with an injury bug with Nikola Jokic dealing with a wrist injury, Jamal Murray still rehabbing from his knee injury, and P.J. Dozier out for the season with a torn ACL.

Losers in their last six outings, the Nuggets look to right the ship Monday against the Miami Heat (13-7).

The post REPORT: Michael Porter Jr. Set For Season-Ending Lower Back Surgery appeared first on SLAM.

“It’s an ongoing thing, trying to figure out what’s going on…” Malone said according to ClutchPoints. “I’d still say that Michael’s out for the foreseeable future. We’re trying to take it one day at a time with him and see what the best way to approach getting him back healthy is.”

“There’s no doubt, regardless of his mood, we all have to support Michael, just like we support Jamal [Murray],” Malone told CBSSports. “And again, Michael could be back in a week, it could be more than that. So when I say, ‘foreseeable future,’ I’m not really sure what that means, I just know that he’s not playing tonight.”

“This is a process where we’re being very cautious, talking to doctors, getting imaging all that kind of stuff,”

Porter Jr. injured his lower back on a play during the team’s win over the Houston Rockets missing a layup. A short time later he left the game and never returned.  

Michael Porter Jr. really missed this layup pic.twitter.com/kFlZ2zvUau

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 6, 2021

Michael Porter Jr. has had a tough start to his 2021-2022 campaign, averaging just 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds on 35.9 percent shooting from the field and just 20.8 percent from three-point range. Despite that, the Nuggets (9-5) have won five straight games in a recent homestand before losing to the Mavericks (9-4), 111-101, Monday.

The high-level play of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has bought them time to figure out the severity of their young forward’s injury and the timeframe of his return but they will need a healthy Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray to be a true threat out of the Western Conference.

The post Head Coach Michael Malone on Michael Porter Jr.: ‘We’re Trying To Figure Out What’s Going On’ appeared first on SLAM.

Porter Jr. was going for an easy dunk in the first quarter during a Nuggets’ 95-94 win over the Houston Rockets (1-9) over the weekend. After gathering a loose ball near midcourt, the young forward somehow fumbled the play, readjusted for a layup, and smoked it.

Michael Porter Jr. really missed this layup pic.twitter.com/kFlZ2zvUau

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 6, 2021

Porter Jr. appeared to suffer the back injury on the play and attempted to fight through it but left for the rest of the game midway through the first quarter. The team described the injury as low back pain. An injury that held him out of practice and the next game against the Miami Heat (7-2) on Monday, according to Harrison Wind via HoopsHype.

Nuggets say Michael Porter Jr. (low back pain) is out for tomorrow vs. the Heat.

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) November 8, 2021

According to the Denver Post, Porter Jr. will be receiving ongoing treatment and could possibly miss the next several games as he recovers.

Porter Jr. and the Nuggets will look to be careful considering his history of back injuries dating back to his lone college basketball season at Missouri. The fourth-year forward had to sit out his entire rookie season recovering from back surgery.

The Nuggets signed Michael Porter Jr. to a five-year contract extension worth up to $207 million in the offseason. He’s struggled to start the season with averages of 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 35.9 percent from the field.

The post Michael Porter Jr. Out Indefinitely With Lower Back Pain appeared first on SLAM.

In an interview with DNVR’s Harrison Wind, Nuggets guard Austin Rivers said that he thinks Porter Jr. is in for an All-Star season.

“I think Michael Porter Jr. will be an All-Star this season,” Rivers told DNVR. “We’re still working with him defensively. He’s putting the effort into that. But he’s going to be an All-Star. 6-10, top-2 or 3 jump shooter in basketball. It’s hard to see a guy like that who we’re going to be featuring on offense not making the All-Star game. He’s too good, man. He’s just too good.”

Rivers also took time to defend Porter from some of the criticism he has faced over the past few years.

“You should be allowed to be human. Unfortunately, in our sport, sometimes you’re not allowed to be human. You make a couple mistakes, and you’re a bad guy. It’s hard to change in the league. It takes years and years to get people to see who you are and understand the type of guy you are. It’s been a process, and I’m still working at it now, honestly.”

Rivers is clearly not the only one who believes in Porter, as the Nuggets in recent days signed him to a five-year $207 million extension, money you only give the best players in the league.

Looking at MPJ’s numbers in his first couple of seasons, it’s easy to see why he is held in such high regard. In just his second season in the NBA, he averaged 19 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting an outstanding 44.5 percent from three point range.

The Nuggets will be looking to improve on their excellent season from last year, where they finished third in the Western Conference but lost in the second round of the NBA Playoffs to the Phoenix Suns.

The post Austin Rivers Anticipates All-Star Season for Michael Porter Jr. appeared first on SLAM.

Per Wojnarowski, Porter’s deal is worth $172 million and must make an All-NBA team in order to reach the designated max criteria.

Last season, MPJ had a breakout season for the Nuggets after averaging 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5 percent from deep in 61 games played. He got the chance to take on more responsibility with point guard Jamal Murray suffering a significant injury following the trade deadline and responded by averaging 23.9 points per game in April (21.0 points per game in May) .

It’s been well-documented that the Nuggets took a risk drafting Porter with 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

However, although he missed a significant amount of time due to his back injury, sitting out of what would have been his original rookie season, he’s routinely flashed the shooting potential that made him such an enticing prospect prior to his indoctrination into the NBA.

Now, he’s a major factor in Denver’s championship aspirations, and his extension serves to highlight his importance. Furthermore, with this agreement, the Nuggets now have their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Porter all locked up long-term.

The post Michael Porter Jr. Agrees to 5-Year, $207 Million Max Extension with Nuggets appeared first on SLAM.

With that in mind, Porter Jr. is eligible for an extension prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. According to Mike Singer of the Denver Post, contract negotiations between the Nuggets and his agent Mark Bartelstein are going smooth and a the direction Porter Jr. is happy about. 

Last season in a breakout year, Porter Jr. averaged 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5 percent from deep. Still just 23 years old, he’s clearly one of the most intriguing young players in the entire league. 

Especially in the modern NBA, a guy who’s able to shoot as well as Porter Jr. does at 6-foot-10 is extremely rare. If he’s able to continue to make his game more well-rounded, he truly has a superstar ceiling. 

The post Michael Porter Jr. Is Optimistic About Contract Extension With Nuggets appeared first on SLAM.

After teammate Jamal Murray suffered an unfortunate season-ending injury back in April, Porter—outspoken, confident and arguably the team’s most naturally gifted talent—knew he needed to step up. He was expected to.

And, as we’ve seen over the past few months, when the moment has called upon MPJ to help lead his team, he’s answered right back.

“At first, I was playing more off-ball. Playing off of Jamal and [Nikola] Jokic on the weak side, getting wide-open threes and driving closeouts,” Porter tells SLAM. “But when Jamal went down, more was expected of me and my role expanded.”

Was it difficult, I wondered, for Porter to compensate for Murray’s absence when given more opportunities within the offense?

“To be honest,” Porter says, “it wasn’t difficult because it’s something I’ve done my whole life.”

That being said, despite his confident nature weathering stormy stretches over the past two seasons, it does appear that Malone’s holistic and structuralist philosophies have rubbed off of Porter.

“It’s about roles,” Porter would insist when asked about a heftier workload being placed on his shoulders. “I’m still playing plenty off-ball.”

However, while his role as a secondary scorer or rebounder may be the first thought many have when assessing Porter’s performance as of late, it appears that it’s actually the intangibles that have been at the forefront of Porter’s mind during Murray’s absence.

“When Jamal went down, my mentality had to switch to more of a leadership role. Being a consistent leader with my energy and my consistency.”

In that aspect, Porter has learned plenty from Jokic. While some may scoff at the notion of the understated Jokic being a leader, Porter has developed plenty of respect for the face of the Nuggets, paying close to attention to how the MVP candidate improves every day.

“First off, Joker’s not even from here. So he’s not going to be the most vocal. But you don’t have to preach and tell people what to do to be a leader; you can lead by example.”

Jokic’s leadership, “his consistency [and] how he takes care of his body,” haven’t just rubbed off on Porter though. They’ve become formulas for him to be just as successful as the Serbian center, both individually and for the Nuggets.

In a similar vain, Porter can also reflect on conversations he’s had with veteran guard Austin Rivers, invaluable lessons from a player who went from a lottery pick to almost out of the league in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

Rivers, who signed a rest-of-the-season contract with Denver on April 30, is a player Porter has long been fond of.

“He has one of the best high school mixtapes ever,” Porter exclaims. “But even though you want to be this—you want to be an All-Star—it’s about what’s best for the team.

“It’s about roles,” Porter says.

While Jokic and Rivers have all played the part of the veteran mentor, Porter really has to look no further than close friend Aaron Gordon for an example of why roles may be the most important factor in a players success.

Gordon, whom Porter calls “one of the coolest people that he’s met in the NBA” because of how well they click off the court and their similar interests, was acquired by the Nuggets back in March while they looked to shore up their frontcourt defense.

The former fourth overall pick had been miscast in a two-way role in Orlando that did a disservice to his elite athleticism and defensive versatility. Finally, after seven-plus seasons with the Magic, the 25-year-old requested a trade that eventually led him to Denver.

No longer tasked with being a go-to scorer, Gordon hasn’t looked back, reveling in his role as a defensive specialist while the Nuggets have looked the part of a legitimate championship-contender ever since.

The same level of peace appears to be on the horizon for Porter, whose desire to develop to be a complete player doesn’t have to come with the same level of burden that was cast upon Gordon.

All because Porter has bought into a role and because his organization understands the importance of them.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who has had somewhat of a contentious relationship with Porter at times, has probably been the largest catalyst for MPJ’s shift in mindset though.

Discussing his coach’s approach and the growth in their relationship following a record-setting victory over the Toronto Raptors on April 30, Porter candidly notes how “growing up you play for certain coaches that literally let you do whatever and you develop bad habits.

“I was lucky enough to have some coaches that didn’t do that. They knew my potential, so they were super hard on me. Coach Malone is no different.”

A five-star recruit who played under former NBA star Brandon Roy at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Porter is still only a few years removed from leading his teams to state championships (2016, 2017), being named the McDonald’s All-American MVP (2017), or being named as the National High School Player of the Year (2017).

In fact, considering that his rookie season in the NBA is the only time in his basketball career that Porter wasn’t looked at as a go-to player, it shouldn’t be surprising that he needed time to adjust to a tertiary role.

A role that he excelled in but one that truly has expanded over the past couple of months.

The numbers themselves only tell part of the story, with Porter averaging 23.5 points per game on a blistering hot .560 percent shooting from the field and .489 percent from 3-point range since April 14.

A three-level scorer who can make tough shots look like run-of-the-mill acrobatics, Porter operates as pressure relief valve for Jokic and the Nuggets, especially when he’s dotting i’s from behind the 3-point line.

Blessed with as pure a shooting stroke as you’ll find, Porter’s 6-10 frame and shooting touch have all but prevented Denver from missing a beat, with the Nuggets going 13-5 (in the regular season) following Murray’s injury.

Still, for a player who once made headlines by suggesting that he—then a rookie—needed more touches for his team to play up to its potential, Porter’s elevated mindset can only be attributed to the leadership found in the Mile High.

Not that Porter wasn’t on the money when he advocated for greater ball-movement and a few more touches during the 2020 NBA Playoffs. His soundbite simply led many to wonder—and not quietly—whether MPJ was a team player.

Yet here Porter is, reveling in the fact that he’s part of a system rather than the face of it. In a year’s time, that type of evolution isn’t unprecedented, but it’s certainly fascinating. The evolution has even been televised.

With the Nuggets set to embark on their most promising postseason journey since 2009, facing the Portland Trail Blazers (and former franchise cornerstone Carmelo Anthony) in the first round will be a test that determines the true identity of the Nuggets.

Regardless of their showing in these following weeks, Porter’s transformation into a sagacious sharpshooter appears to have the same level of solidity as Jokic’s standing as an elite player.

The show has already started, but the best has yet to come.

—

Photos via Getty Images.

The post It’s Showtime: The Evolution of Michael Porter Jr. appeared first on SLAM.

However, since he went down with the ACL injury that would keep him out for the remainder of the year, thee Nuggets are 9-1, and have jumped to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. 

Battling through adversity, Denver’s MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic has stepped up in a huge way. Additionally, Michael Porter Jr. has emerged as the second-best player for the Nuggets in Murray’s absence. In the ten games since his injury, Porter Jr. has averaged 25.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest on .513 from deep. 

Although they’re without their superstar point guard heading into the playoffs, the Denver Nuggets look like they’ll still have the talent to make a deep playoff run. 

The post Nuggets Continue To Have Success After Jamal Murray’s Season-Ending Injury appeared first on SLAM.

According to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, Barton is expected to miss a “handful” of games with a right hamstring strain. While there’s no timetable for his return, Nuggets Head Coach Mike Malone said that Barton felt something pop in his hamstring. 

Luckily for the Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. has picked up the slack offensively where Denver has lost scoring due to injury recently. He’s averaging 23.1 points per game in the month of April. 

While it’s unclear when Barton will return, the Nuggets will need him back as soon as possible. In 56 games this season, he’s been a primary starter, averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. 

The post Nuggets’ Will Barton Out Indefinitely After Knee Injury appeared first on SLAM.

Although Murray will miss the remainder of the season, Michael Porter Jr. still has the same goals in mind. When speaking to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, he emphasized that winning an NBA title is still his main focus.

The goal’s the same. That’s a championship.”

Even without Murray, the Nuggets will still be a solid team the remainder of this season and into the playoffs. Especially with the performance he had in the playoffs last season, it will take a team effort to fill his void.

While their ceiling was lowered following this devastating injury, Denver still needs to look forward. The Nuggets still remain one of the most talented young teams in the NBA, especially after acquiring Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline.

With 17 games remaining for the Denver Nuggets this season, they currently hold the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 35-20.

The post Michael Porter Jr.: ‘The Goal’s the Same. That’s A Championship’ appeared first on SLAM.

“We kept going to [Nikola Jokic] and [Jamal Murray]. I think they’re two amazing players, so you can never get mad at that,” Porter Jr said. “But I just think to beat that team, we got to get more players involved. We got to move the ball a little bit better. We can’t be predictable against that team.”

The 22-year-old rookie scored 15 points on 5-6 shooting in the first half of Game 4, but went only 0-2 in the second half.

When asked about his scoreless second half, Porter Jr said the coaching staff didn’t run any plays for him. “I didn’t touch the ball,” he said. “[The Clippers] didn’t do anything differently (defending me).”

The Nuggets face elimination in Game 5 on Friday.

The post Michael Porter Jr: Nuggets Must ‘Get More Players Involved’ To Beat Clippers appeared first on SLAM.

Cleveland and Charlotte went back and forth in the final minutes, but Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham hit the crucial go-ahead bucket that helped his team get the win. Graham finished with 16 points in 41 minutes, while Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 30 points.

Nuggets 124 (24-10), Pacers 116 (22-31)

It was a career night for Michael Porter Jr., who scored his most points in a game yet with 25 against the Pacers. Jeremy Lamb notched 30 points in the loss.

Raptors 76 (23-12), Heat 84 (25-9)

Miami gutted out the win in this low-scoring affair between two top Eastern Conference teams. Bam Adebayo led the Heat with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Jazz 102 (22-12), Bulls 98 (13-22)

Five Utah players hit double-digit scoring, led by 19 points from Bojan Bogdanovic. Rudy Gobert added a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Zach LaVine scored 26 points in the loss.

Warriors 84 (9-27), Timberwolves 99 (13-21)

Robert Covington and Shabazz Napier each contributed 20 points to Minnesota’s home win. Glen Robinson III led Golden State with 16 points.

Nets 111 (16-17), Mavericks 123 (22-12)

It was another night of MVP-level play from Luka Doncic. The forward registered 31 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists to propel the Mavs over Brooklyn. Spencer Dinwiddie notched 19 points for the Nets.

Thunder 109 (19-15), Spurs 103 (14-19)

OKC outscored San Antonio 35-27 in the final frame to steal the road win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander provided a spark with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. DeMar DeRozan put up 30 points for the Spurs.

Grizzlies 123 (13-22), Kings 128 (13-22)

Sacramento received the scoring edge from the duo of De’Aaron Fox (27 points) and Buddy Hield (26 points) to come back and beat Memphis. Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant led the team with 23 points.

Pistons 112 (12-23), Clippers 126 (25-11)

Six Clippers players scored 12+ points, led by Montrezl Harrell’s 23 points in 27 minutes. Lou Williams (22 points) and Kawhi Leonard (18 points) added to the offense as well.

The post Post Up: Michael Porter Jr. Scores Career-High 25 Points in Win appeared first on SLAM.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career-high 32 points back home in the 6, including hitting the go-ahead bucket with 36 seconds to go. Chris Paul was the team’s second-leading scorer with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Pelicans 127 (11-23), Rockets 112 (22-11)

It was a career night for Lonzo Ball, who knocked down seven 3-pointers, en route to a 27-point performance in the Big Easy. Brandon Ingram finished with 27 points, too, and Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore had 27 apiece.

Grizzlies 117 (13-21), Hornets 104 (13-22)

Three of Memphis’ starters finished in double figures with Dillion Brooks putting up a team-high 20 points. Jaren Jackson Jr had a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) in the win.

Nuggets 120 (23-9), Kings 115 (12-21)

Michael Porter Jr, who had his first career start, had 19 points at home. Will Barton finished with 19 as well and Mason Plumlee had 15 points off the bench.

Lakers 108 (25-7), Mavericks 95 (21-10)

LeBron James became the only player in NBA history with 9,000 assists and 9,000 rebounds on Sunday night at Staples Center. Anthony Davis led all scorers with 23 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 19 points and Dwight Howard had 15 points.

The post Post Up: LeBron James Gets 9,000th Career Assist Against Mavericks appeared first on SLAM.

The 2018 lottery pick has played just 53 minutes of competitive basketball since leaving high school in the spring of 2017 and none since March, 2018. After an injury-shortened freshman campaign at Missouri, the tantalizing prospect entered the NBA Draft.

The Nuggets were happy to red-shirt Porter Jr. in 2018-19, giving him ample time to fully recover from his second of two back injuries prior to his first taste of competitive action in the NBA.

While Denver may have hoped Porter Jr. would get that first taste over the course of summer league play in Las Vegas, a knee sprain threw a wrench in those plans and the franchise opted to proceed with caution.

While Porter Jr. hasn’t had the chance to prove himself at the big league level, it’s important to remember that the 6’10 forward was considered a potential top-five pick as recently as the morning of the 2018 NBA Draft.

Later that evening, of course, he slipped to the formidable Nuggets at pick No. 14, setting the stage for what could end up being a considerable steal provided the 21-year-old can remain healthy.

“We love how talented he is, and we love the player he has a chance to become,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone told Singer.

The post Michael Porter Jr. Fully Cleared Ahead Of Debut appeared first on SLAM.

Kosmider relays that the Nuggets don’t believe the injury is anything serious but, given the long road to recovery that the 2018 lottery pick has been on since last June, they weren’t about to take any chances.

Porter Jr. has struggled to stay healthy dating back to his lone NCAA season but isn’t far removed from having established himself as one of the most intriguing high school prospects in the nation.

Porter Jr. was shut down in 2018-19 as he recovered from a lumbar spine surgical procedure, the second such procedure on his back in less than eight months. Since then the 21-year-old has worked dutifully to return to basketball activities.

As Porter Jr.’s expected return to the court drew near, he began itching to prove to the world and his teammates why he once was considered such a coveted prospect. Kosmider details the forward’s rehabilitation process and adds that he’s expected to be an impact player on the squad in 2019-20.

The post Michael Porter Jr. To Miss Summer League With Knee Strain appeared first on SLAM.

But perhaps the hardest adjustment has been to life without basketball, as the talented young forward continues to rehab from a back injury.

We caught up with MPJ recently to discuss his progress on the floor, work with Autotrader, signing with PUMA and more.

—

SLAM: How has your rehab been going? What’s a typical day like?

MPJ: It’s been going great. I’m really progressing in my rehab, making a lot of strides. Getting back on the court, doing some player development stuff, so that feels amazing. Being able to workout a little bit and not being in any pain. It’s been amazing. We’re really progressing, making a lot of strides, and trying to get better day by day. Do more and more.

SLAM: Do you have an idea of when you’ll be able to play again or is there any sort of timetable you’re working off of?

MPJ: It’s definitely day by day. We have weekly goals, but in terms of getting back on the court and playing, just being as patient as possible and taking our time to make sure every part of my body is strong and I’m healthy enough and I’m never going to have to deal with that stuff again.

SLAM: How difficult is it to juggle wanting to play now and knowing you need to be patient since you have a long career ahead of you?

MPJ: It’s definitely tough because, you know, I don’t really have too many interests outside of basketball. It’s tough not being able to be in the gym. I watch those guys practice and get tired and I’m just like, dang, I’d do anything to be tired like those guys right now. It’s definitely tough and there’s hard days, but at the end of the day, I’m feeling good. I’m blessed. There’s a lot of blessings in my life. I like to just try to be thankful because when you’re thankful, it’s hard to be down. So I like to thank god for all the other stuff I have. And just be patient and wait my turn.

SLAM: Are you encouraged by the progress you’ve made? 

MPJ: Making a lot of strides. Day to day, it’s kind of slow in how you see the progress. But when you look back two weeks, three weeks, a month, it’s amazing, especially when doctors who haven’t seen you in 3-4 weeks, they come in and check on you to see how you’re doing, and they can’t believe the progress that I’ve made. That’s very encouraging and motivates me to do more.

SLAM: How have you been adjusting to life in Denver? Is the city a good fit for you?

MPJ: It’s definitely a good fit. It’s been an adjustment, but it’s been pretty easy. I have my best friend and my sister living out here with me. And Denver is the perfect spot for me. It’s low key and that’s kind of how I like it. A lot of space so I don’t feel crammed or nothing. I can relax and do my thing, so it’s been amazing.

SLAM: I know you said you don’t have a lot of interests outside of basketball, but what are some of your off-court hobbies?

MPJ: I’ve kind of had to adapt. Before I got hurt, there was really nothing. I hooped and I hung out with my family and friends. That was really it. But I’ve had to learn how to fill my time and do beneficial stuff. So I’ve adapted — been reading a lot more. Fiction and non-fiction. I like to read, play video games — there’s some new games I like to play. I wouldn’t say that’s beneficial but…[laughs]. Just stuff like that.”

SLAM: Is there anything you’ve read recently that stands out?

MPJ: A book called “The Alchemist.” I read that a month ago and that was amazing. It was about a kid spending his life trying to figure out his personal legend and purpose. It was really cool and I recommend it to everybody.

SLAM: I understand you’re a big 2K guy, have you played against any of your teammates and are you the best?

MPJ: Yeah, all my teammates are bums at 2K [laughs]. It’s a waste of time playing those guys. But I’m not gonna lie, they’re going to see this so I might as well tell the truth, Monte Morris is pretty good at 2K. He’s beat me the last couple of times we’ve played so shout out to him.

SLAM: But you took everybody else?

MPJ: Oh yeah, everybody else is easy.

SLAM: You said video games aren’t beneficial, but I feel like 2K is different.

MPJ: Actually, yeah. Fortnite is not beneficial, but 2K definitely is. My mom used to say the same thing because I play so much 2K and I’d be like, Mom it actually helps you get better at basketball. I remember at Missouri, in the practices before I got hurt, I was literally on a fast-break and like I saw the defense how I see it in 2K, so I did the euro-step. It was so crazy. I told my brother and we were tripping, It was so funny.

SLAM: Especially while you’re out rehabbing, can’t you get a feel for your teammates’ tendencies by playing 2K?

MPJ: 2K does a great job of being realistic. So the same type of game you have in real life, they put that into the system. So I see how these guys play, see how LeBron is pretty much unstoppable, stuff like that.

SLAM: You recently signed with PUMA along with several other guys. In your opinion, what’s different or unique about the brand?

MPJ: Oh man, there’s too much to talk about with PUMA. PUMA’s where it’s at in terms of how they relate to us, how they take care of us and how there’s so much stuff that they care about outside of basketball. The vision that they have is amazing and I feel blessed to be a part of it.

SLAM: Can you talk about the work you’re doing with Autotrader and the video you guys just released?

MPJ: Yeah, me being a rookie car buyer, Autotrader has the biggest variety of cars to choose from. They are always looking to make the car buying process faster and easier. They have a brand new feature called accelerate that helps limit time at the dealership. You can start your deal online so that when you get to the dealership, you don’t have to use as much time. For me, just being a simple guy and being a rookie, they really helped me out.

And then the video, it’s about me being a rookie and I’m not on the court right now, so there’s a lot of other things I’m doing. So the video kind of puts a funny spin on that.

I’m all for being a team player, but this is getting out of control!! Thanks @Autotrader_com for helping me find the perfect rookie ride. #RookieDuties #AcceleratewithAutotrader #AD pic.twitter.com/hUp56I5zYx

— Michael Porter Jr (@MPJr) October 11, 2018

SLAM: Have there been a lot of rookie duties for real?

MPJ: It’s all fun and jokes. They did their thing a little bit, but a lot of these guys are young themselves so they don’t really do too much. Isaiah [Thomas] and Paul [Millsap] are really the only vets on the team that even have us do anything, but it’s all just funny, little stuff. Nothing crazy.

SLAM: Do you rely on IT and Paul for advice?

MPJ: Yeah, for sure. I look at what they do, how they operate, being pros, for sure. I get to pick [Isaiah’s] brain, see how he was so good when he was playing, and it’s kind of cool going through the rehab process with him, being able to keep each other’s spirits high and attack every day of rehab together. It’s been good.

SLAM: What’s been the biggest piece of advice you’ve gotten about transitioning to the NBA?

MPJ: Man, it’s just all the little things that add up, you know? I don’t really like the cold tub, but all the days in the cold tub will add up when you’re healing. Stuff like that. Stretching before you do physical activity. And just how you heal your body. Get enough sleep at night, all that. The little things that go a long way in the end.

SLAM: Was there a specific player you looked up to or modeled your game after growing up?

MPJ: No, there wasn’t. I just got as good as I could get and tried to do my own thing. I like watching every NBA player, but I never tried to model any of their games.

SLAM: Did you just try to pick up bits and pieces from everyone?

MPJ: Yeah, it was mostly watching different guys.  For me, it was looking at guys that I don’t relate to at all and trying to take stuff from them. Like I don’t really play like Kyrie [Irving] and Steph [Curry], but if I can learn some of the stuff that they do, it’d be hard to stop being 6-7.

—

Alex Squadron is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @asquad510.

Photos via Getty.

The post Michael Porter Jr Talks Rehab, Life in Denver, Signing with PUMA and More appeared first on SLAM.

Kroenke told The Undefeated he was uncertain about whether Porter Jr. would play in summer league or during the 2018-19 season. Before his post-draft news conference, Porter Jr. walked around with a slight limp as he took a congratulatory phone call from Kroenke and head coach Michael Malone.

Porter Jr, once projected to be a future No. 1 pick, slipped all the way to Denver at No. 14 on Thursday due to concerns about his health. The versatile forward missed nearly all of his lone season at Missouri after having back surgery and canceled some pre-draft workouts because of muscle spasms.

Regardless of when Porter Jr suits up for the first time, Kroenke is ecstatic to have landed him:

“Michael is an incredible talent and we were surprised to see him available at No. 14,” Kroenke told The Undefeated via text message. “We know the risks associated with him due to his recent back injury at Missouri, but he’s an incredibly hard worker, is an outstanding young man and we think he will fit in well with our up-and-coming group in Denver.”

RELATED
Report: Michael Porter Jr Signs Shoe Deal with PUMA

The post Nuggets President Uncertain If Michael Porter Jr Will Play During 2018-19 Season appeared first on SLAM.

The discussions eventually ended amid concerns over Porter’s back injury, per Scotto.

The Philadelphia 76ers had internal discussions about packaging the No. 10 and 26 picks, along with former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, to move into the top five, league sources told The Athletic.

The target was Porter during these discussions. However, that thinking dampened with Porter’s back remaining a major question mark. If JJ Redick leaves in free agency, Fultz is the favorite to start at shooting guard.

RELATED:
Report: Michael Porter Jr. is Cavs’ Top Choice at No. 8

The post Report: Sixers Discussed Markelle Fultz Package for Top-Five Pick appeared first on SLAM.

Michael Porter Jr has signed a multi-year shoe deal with PUMA. The brand is making one of the most aggressive pushes the industry has seen.

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) June 20, 2018

Porter joins DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley and Zhaire Smith as potential 2018 lottery picks to rep with the brand.

PUMA recently named Jay Z its president of basketball operations. Hov is also the founder of Roc Nation Sports, which represents Smith, Kevin Durant, Justise Winslow, Danny Green and Jeremy Lin, among others.

WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith, also represented by Roc Nation, signed a long-term deal with PUMA last year.

Images of the brand’s first performance basketball sneaker, the PUMA Clyde Court, released today.

First look at the Puma Clyde Court. Would you hoop in this sneaker? : HYPEBEAST pic.twitter.com/FnoZiJd5ki

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 20, 2018

Another look — the new Puma Clyde Court.

Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr & Zhaire Smith are on board.

Ayton has been playing in them since last month, and told me:
“I’m excited to get a feel for them. When I first tried them, they were simple and smooth.“ pic.twitter.com/F4B4lNmCaV

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) June 20, 2018

RELATED:
Michael Porter Jr: ‘I’m a Mix of Giannis and KD’

The post Report: Michael Porter Jr Signs Shoe Deal with PUMA appeared first on SLAM.

Porter adds that his game also contains a little Tracy McGrady.

Here’s what Michael Porter Jr. told me about how he views himself in the NBA (@MPJr): pic.twitter.com/Qvh39yDsbz

— Damon Amendolara (@DAonCBS) June 18, 2018

The 19-year-old’s back problems led to surgery, cutting short his lone college season at Missouri to just three games.

Per the AP:

“I’m feeling great,” Porter Jr. said.

He believes he’s the best player. But with every indication that Deandre Ayton will go No. 1 to Phoenix, the intrigue starts at No. 2 and Porter is surely getting a real long look from the franchises that have the other top-10 spots, those being in order Sacramento, Atlanta, Memphis, Dallas, Orlando, Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia.

“I just feel like in today’s game, there’s guys that can do anything on the floor,” Porter Jr. said. “And that’s how I kind of view myself.”

The post Michael Porter Jr: ‘I’m a Mix of Giannis and KD’ appeared first on SLAM.

“Several sources, ranging from NBA executive to agents to scouts, told cleveland.com that the Cavs would most likely draft Porter if they could. The team, naturally, will not comment on its draft strategy … There is no consensus outside the organization as to whom they would take [if Porter is unavailable].”

Porter, the top-ranked high school player in the class of 2017, played just three games during his college career at Mizzou due to a lower back injury that required surgery. Porter’s recent injury history has made projecting his landing spot difficult, as he’s been linked to the Sacramento Kings at No. 2, but has also been projected to potentially fall into the late lottery.

RELATED: Teams Gauging Knicks’ Interest in Trading up to Draft Michael Porter Jr

The post Report: Michael Porter Jr. is Cavs’ Top Choice at No. 8 appeared first on SLAM.

His lone season at Mizzou was cut short due to injury and now the 19-year-old is on every NBA team’s radar ahead of this week’s draft. SLAM caught up with Porter Jr to discuss his whirlwind journey to the League and how’s he more than just a scorer.

SLAM: There’s a lot of doubters out there right now. How are you keeping a level head?

Michael Porter Jr: That’s what I got my agent for. He talks to all those people to let them know they’re trippin’. And let’s them know that I’m doing good. And for me, I just gotta focus on what I can control. I can’t control what other people say even though a lot of what they say isn’t true. People just don’t understand that I’m feeling good, I’m ready to take the League by storm and do my thing, and really help a team and let people see the player I am. People kind of forgot about me a little bit, but that’s alright. I’m ready to wake them back up.

SLAM: When did you think about seriously trying to make basketball a career?

MPJ: Ever since I was three years old and I first picked up a ball, I knew I loved the sport. I didn’t think I was gonna be in the NBA until about fifth grade [at] AAU Nationals. We won Nationals, and that was when I really thought I could make it to the League.

SLAM: Your brother Jontay is also a big-time hooper. How often are you guys working out together still?

MPJ: All the time. Jontay, people say he had a great year at Mizzou, I expected that from him. I always tell him he could do way more on the floor cause we play one-on-one all the time. But I was happy for him, he’s getting better and better.

SLAM: What’s the one-on-one record?

MPJ: I’m killing him in one-on-one. It’s just a big bro thing. Maybe if I wasn’t his big brother it might be a little more leveled, but, nah. (laughs)

SLAM: You’ve been able to be around tons of pro hoopers already. What type of advice are they giving you?

MPJ: Really just staying focused. When you get to the League there’s guys that work really hard and guys that let the lifestyle get to them a little bit. For me, I just have to stay focused and keep my goals and keep working.

SLAM: Everyone talks about your scoring. Is there an aspect of your game that doesn’t get talked about?

MPJ: I think my rebounding. In high school I averaged, like, 17 boards a game. I think rebounding is one of the biggest skills that I have. Rebounding and bringing it up the floor. So I think that doesn’t get talked about a lot, I think they just thinking I’m an all around scorer, a natural scorer, but I like to rebound the ball too.

SLAM: Where does that mentality come from?

MPJ: For me, it’s I don’t like to get lost in game. You know, there’s great players that tend to have spurts where they do really, really well and then disappear for a little bit. I try to just keep going the whole game and be productive the whole game. So when you do that, you can get seventeen rebounds a game, cause you don’t get lost in the game.

SLAM: There’s been a lot of comparisons to KD. Who do you think you play like?

MPJ: I get compared to Tracy McGrady a lot. I think that one’s pretty accurate in terms of how he plays. I like the KD one, KD’s an amazing player so to be in the conversation with him, you’re doing something right. And then I get a mix between Giannis and KD because I like to a little bit of what they do. But I like to shoot more than Giannis but bring it to the hole more than KD.

SLAM: Tell us about your partnership with Autotrader.

MPJ: I decided to partner with them because they know a lot about cars and I don’t. One of the first things I’m going to do when I get to a city is look into getting a car. They’re going to help me with that. The all new Autotrader has the largest selection of vehicles that I’ll get to pick from and they just added Kelly Blue Book price advisor so I get the best price and I know I’m not overpaying, and I’m not getting ripped off.

SLAM: What car you tryna get?

MPJ: I’m still thinking, but I’m leaning towards a Tesla.

The post Michael Porter Jr on His Doubters, His Health and Scoring appeared first on SLAM.

There’s a very real chance the Kings would take Michael Porter Jr. at No. 2, but it’s unclear how the canceling of the Friday workout in Chicago might impact the process. They want more intel on medical and another look. Teams are being told that the workout will be rescheduled.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 14, 2018

Kings appear to be pondering Porter Jr., Doncic and Bagley more than the rest, with the assumption that Phoenix takes Ayton No. 1 https://t.co/CO2DvAAWXs

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 14, 2018

Porter Jr, a 6-10 versatile forward, was scheduled to have a workout in Chicago on Friday but canceled at the last minute due to hip spasms, as The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor and Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charnia report:

Michael Porter Jr.’s group canceled a workout scheduled on Friday, per league sources. The Knicks, Suns, Kings and other lottery teams had planned to attend in Chicago.@ringer‘s mock draft is updated to reflect the latest intel, including Porter rising: https://t.co/0PYq9NNvWx

— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 14, 2018

Sources: NBA Draft lottery teams were informed Wednesday that Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr., a projected high-lottery draft pick, canceled second Pro Day workout Friday because of hip spasms and would undergo tests.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 14, 2018

Despite the hip spasms, Porter Jr has continued to rise up draft boards.

RELATED
Report: Teams Gauging Knicks’ Interest in Trading up to Draft Michael Porter Jr

The post Report: ‘Very Real Chance’ Kings Draft Michael Porter Jr at No. 2 appeared first on SLAM.

Some teams with picks ahead of the Knicks have reached out to New York gauge its interest on trading up to draft Michael Porter Jr., league sources say: https://t.co/xXU9upnJSI

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 12, 2018

Begley clarifies that there has been no indication that a deal is close to being reached, nor that the Knicks know for sure who they want to pick next Thursday.

“But opposing teams are aware that some members of the Knicks’ organization are big fans of Porter Jr.,” Begley writes. “Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry are scheduled to head to Chicago on Friday to watch Porter Jr. workout, team sources confirm.”

Porter Jr, a 6-foot-10 versatile forward, missed almost all of his lone season at Missouri due to a back injury.

RELATED
Report: Clippers Considering Trading Up In Draft For Michael Porter Jr.

The post Report: Teams Gauging Knicks’ Interest in Trading up to Draft Michael Porter Jr appeared first on SLAM.

O’Connor noted that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is a Seattle-resident who’s familiar with Porter from his playing days at Nathan Hale High School — a member school of Ballmer’s son’s league. Ballmer reportedly paused his own interview during the NBA Draft Combine to check in on Porter’s.

Porter only played three games in college with Mizzou due to a lower back injury in the Tigers’ season opener that required surgery, but ended his high school career as the top-ranked player in the class of 2018.

The post Report: Clippers Considering Trading Up In Draft For Michael Porter Jr. appeared first on SLAM.

While guesting on the Woj Pod, Givony said “[Porter] has the biggest range of any prospect in this draft” (starting at 15:36):

“Michael Porter is going to be a really, really interesting guy in this draft.

“People are going to want to bring him in at 2, 3, 4. But then, there are a lot of question marks there too.

“The intel isn’t great. How is his physical going to turn out?

“And so, could he be there at the end of the lottery too? He actually has the biggest range of any prospect in this draft to me.”

RELATED:
The Full 2018 NBA Draft Combine List

The post Report: Michael Porter Jr Could Be A Late-Lottery Pick appeared first on SLAM.

Notable prospects not attending include DeAndre Ayton and Luka Doncic, who are both vying to be the No. 1 overall pick, as well as Texas A&M center Robert Williams. Doncic is currently playing in the EuroLeague playoffs.

The combine will be held in Chicago from May 16-20.

Here’s the complete list, via Yahoo:

Rawle Alkins

Grayson Allen

Kostas Antetokounmpo

Udoka Azubuike

Marvin Bagley III

Mohamed Bamba

Jaylen Barford

Keita Bates-Diop

Tyus Battle

Brian Bowen II

Mikal Bridges

Miles Bridges

Bruce Brown Jr.

Troy Brown Jr.

Jalen Brunson

Tony Carr

Jevon Carter

Wendell Carter

Hamidou Diallo

Donte DiVincenzo

Trevon Duval

Jacob Evans

Bruno Fernando

Melvin Frazier Jr.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Devonte Graham

Devon Hall

Jaylen Hands

Kevin Hervey

Aaron Holiday

Kevin Huerter

Chandler Hutchison

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Justin Jackson

Alize Johnson

George King

Kevin Knox

Sagaba Konate

Caleb Martin

Cody Martin

Yante Maten

Brandon McCoy

De’Anthony Melton

Chimezie Metu

Shake Milton

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk

Malik Newman

Josh Okogie

Jontay Porter

Michael Porter Jr.

Billy Preston

Jerome Robinson

Mitchell Robinson

Collin Sexton

Landry Shamet

Anfernee Simons

Zhaire Smith

Omari Spellman

Khyri Thomas

Gary Trent Jr.

Allonzo Trier

Jarred Vanderbilt

Moritz Wagner

Lonnie Walker

PJ Washington

Austin Wiley

Kris Wilkes

Kenrich Williams

Trae Young

RELATED
NBA Exec: Bamba May Have Higher Upside Than Ayton

The post The Full 2018 NBA Draft Combine List 👀 appeared first on SLAM.

A post shared by Michael Porter Jr. (@mpj) on Mar 26, 2018 at 2:38pm PDT

Porter Jr., a 6-foot-10 forward, missed almost all of the regular season with a back injury. He is still projected to be a high lottery selection in June.

RELATED
Michael Porter Jr Documentary: Born To Play

The post Michael Porter Jr. Declares for 2018 NBA Draft appeared first on SLAM.

Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. will play Thursday in the SEC Tournament, as reported by ESPN‘s Paul Finebaum and confirmed by Tigers head coach Cuonzo Martin:

I’m told Michael Porter Jr. will play Thursday in the #SECTourney

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 7, 2018

“He said ‘Coach, I want to help the team’…for me it was always Mike’s decision to play or not play.”@CuonzoMartin confirms Michael Porter Jr. will play in the #SECTourney

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 7, 2018

Porter Jr., a 6-10 forward, has been out with a back injury since Nov. 10.

RELATED
Report: Michael Porter Jr.’s Parents To Decide If He Plays This Season

The post Report: Michael Porter Jr. Will Play Thursday In SEC Tournament appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s the full statement from Porter Jr., which reveals his “plan” to potentially return for the SEC Tournament, via ESPN‘s Jeff Borzello:

Michael Porter Jr. not playing tonight. pic.twitter.com/weaYREaMbU

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 3, 2018

The 6-10 forward has been out with a back injury since Nov. 10 and ESPN reported that a decision as to whether he plays this season will ultimately be made by his parents.

RELATED
Michael Porter Jr Documentary: Born To Play

The post Michael Porter Jr. Targeting Return For SEC Tournament appeared first on SLAM.

According to ESPN‘s Jeff Goodman, his parents will now decide whether the 6-10 forward takes the court for the Tigers this season:

One source close to the family told ESPN that no decision has been made on whether he will play — and that his parents will ultimately make the decision. His father, Michael Porter Sr., is an assistant coach with the Tigers, and his younger brother, Jontay, is a freshman forward.

“It will depend how he looks in practice,” the source told ESPN. “There’s no plan, and they will just see how he looks and then make a decision.”

Porter Jr. went through a limited practice Friday and a shootaround Saturday. Missouri (18-11, 8-8) has two regular-season games left before tournament play.

Once in the No. 1 pick conversation, Goodman reports that multiple NBA GMs believe he has fallen out of the top five:

Multiple NBA general managers told ESPN that Porter, who was in the discussion for the No. 1 overall pick before his back injury, is now likely on the outside of the top five — behind Arizona’s Deandre Ayton, Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, overseas standout Luka Doncic and possibly behind Texas’ Mo Bamba, Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson and Oklahoma’s Trae Young.

“If he wants to be a top five pick, he should play,” one NBA GM told ESPN. “Right now I don’t think he is.”

RELATED
Report: Michael Porter Jr. Has Been Fully Cleared For All Basketball Activities

The post Report: Michael Porter Jr.’s Parents To Decide If He Plays This Season appeared first on SLAM.

Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. has been fully cleared for all basketball activities, per a source.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 22, 2018

The 6-10 forward suffered a back injury in November that required surgery, and was expected to miss the entire year.

Two weeks ago, he dropped hints at an upcoming return, saying there was a “good chance” he’d be suiting up for Mizzou this season.

RELATED
Michael Porter Jr Documentary: Born To Play

The post Report: Michael Porter Jr. Has Been Fully Cleared For All Basketball Activities appeared first on SLAM.

More from NBC Sports:

“To me and how I feel right now, there is a good chance,” Porter said. “I think the doctors are going to be amazed at my progress.”

Porter has been cleared to return to practice after back surgery in November. He has not, however, been cleared for contact, which means he cannot yet play in games.

“My rehab therapist thinks I’m good to go with practice except for the contact part,” Porter said, adding that he will be seeing the doctor next week. “I’m hoping that the doctor clears me for everything, contact included. That’s what I would love to hear. But it’s not up to me. It’s up to the doctors.”

The post Michael Porter Jr Says “There’s a Good Chance” He’ll Suit Up For Mizzou This Season appeared first on SLAM.

Last season Brandon Roy made his return to basketball as head coach of Seattle’s Nathan Hale HS. His star player was Michael Porter Jr, who was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2017. Together they embarked on a 29-0 record, with many crowing them the No. 1 team in America. Although he is missing his entire freshman season at Mizzou due to a back injury, he is still expected to be among the first five names to be called in the 2018 NBA Draft.

FloHoops put together a dope mini-doc on MPJ last season in the midst of his historic run at Nathan Hale. Catch the full doc above.

The post Michael Porter Jr Documentary: Born To Play appeared first on SLAM.

The post Respect The Game Episode 76: Duke’s Dominance appeared first on SLAM.

Being that we won’t likely see him play again till the NBA, and since there won’t be any college mixtapes as reference, we’ve dug up footage of him from his HS days, to just remind everyone how real his game is.

Peep the mixtape above and let us know which NBA player his game reminds you of.

The post Is Michael Porter Jr The Next Kevin Durant? appeared first on SLAM.

Kyrie, who missed the majority of his season at Duke with a toe injury, told the projected lottery pick, “The biggest thing is how you respond.”

“As an 18-year-old kid and understanding how talented you are, you just want to play basketball.

 

“And when it gets taken away from you like that for the betterment of your health… at the time, you can’t necessarily understand that because basketball is literally all you know.” […]

 

“As long as he gets the opportunity and he makes the most of it, and understands that things like this happen and it’s part of your athletic career sometimes…

 

“But the biggest thing is how you respond from it that’s going to really dictate what your success is going forward.”

The post Kyrie Irving Gives Advice to Michael Porter Jr After Spinal Surgery appeared first on SLAM.

Listen above or check us out on audioBoom, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.

Related
Respect The Game Episode 72: Chiney Ogwumike
Respect The Game Episode 71: Michael Beasley
Respect The Game Episode 70: Spencer Dinwiddie
Respect The Game Episode 69: Stephon Marbury
Respect The Game Episode 68: Adrian ‘A-Butta’ Walton
Respect The Game Episode 67: Summer High School Hoops Roundup
Respect The Game Episode 66: ASAP Twelvyy
Respect The Game Episode 65: Kyle Anderson
Respect The Game Episode 64: D’Angelo Russell

The post Respect The Game Episode 73: SLAM 212 and College Basketball Scandal appeared first on SLAM.

You can read our cover stories on the rookies, MBIII and MPJ now, and stay tuned for plenty more dope content from the issue over the next few weeks. And rejoice—it’s almost that time…

READ OUR COVER STORY ON THE 2017-18 NBA ROOKIES 

READ OUR COVER STORY ON MICHAEL PORTER JR

READ OUR COVER STORY ON MARVIN BAGLEY III

The post Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr and NBA Rookies Cover SLAM 212! appeared first on SLAM.

Although the natural light fails to reach the hardwood floor and lower seating bowl, it does shine over a portion of the upper deck. Porter, looking up while sitting to the left of the scorer’s table, notices the coincidental angle in which the sunlight comes in.

He begins smiling while pointing to an upper corner of the arena, where the sun’s reflection shines brightly on a wall, illuminating a couple of signs that bring back clear memories of 2010.

That’s the year Porter first set foot in the arena.

“I remember sitting all the way up there in section 208 with two strangers sitting next to me,” Porter says. “Since my dad worked here, we’d get free tickets and I would come by myself sometimes. I remember coming to these games and Mizzou Arena was packed.”

Porter’s dad, Michael Sr, accepted a Director of Basketball Operations position with the Mizzou women’s basketball program in 2010. And so the family relocated from Indianapolis, IN, to Columbia, MO, just as Porter Jr wrapped up fifth grade.

He wasn’t feeling the move at first. Like the majority of his seven other siblings, Porter Jr was homeschooled up until high school. And so the challenge with relocating at that age wasn’t necessarily about adjusting to a new school system, new teachers or new classmates. Instead, unlike in the Indy area—a hotbed for basketball—finding friends through hoops in Columbia turned out to be very challenging.

“It took a couple of years for it to feel like home—to meet new friends, because I was homeschooled,” he recalls. “Back home my friends were my basketball friends and then coming here, there wasn’t too many basketball players in the area. So I found myself alone a lot. But then that also worked to my advantage because I found myself in the gym a lot because I didn’t have many friends. That was a tough adjustment, but eventually Columbia became home.”

While Columbia didn’t have the same kind of hoops culture that Indiana offered, with his dad on staff, Porter Jr did have access to Mizzou’s facilities, basically at will. He’d shadow the team around the facilities, experience the home game atmosphere from section 208, and would work on his jumper on the arena’s hardwood.

“I was able to come here whenever I wanted to, really. The strength coach for the women’s team would put me through some strength training at a very young age,” he says. “I was able to get in here and shoot on the gun. I remember shooting a thousand shots a night. I just loved it. I loved basketball. I couldn’t think of anything better. I felt like I had everything here to reach my goals.”

One night—while still in the sixth grade—after Porter Jr finished his usual shooting workout at the arena, then- Mizzou men’s head coach Frank Haith offered him a scholarship on the spot. Only fitting that the Tigers would become the first D1 program to offer him a scholarship, right?

But his journey to wearing a Tigers uniform was anything but a simple one. The hometown hero will suit up for the state school this season only after initially committing to playing for Washington in the Pac-12. That was until a series of March events led him back to where it all began.

After three years as Director of Basketball Operations, Michael Sr was promoted to assistant coach of the women’s team at Mizzou in 2013. The following year, the oldest of the eight Porter siblings, Bri (a 6-3 forward), joined the Tigers’ program. In 2015, Cierra, a 6-4 forward and the second oldest Porter sibling, also joined the Tigers. With dad on the bench and Bri and Cierra on the floor, the Porter family appeared to be on their way to a full-blown Missouri hoops takeover.

“We’ve been naturally gifted and realize that you can make change if you have a platform, and basketball is a great platform,” Cierra says. “That’s what drives us.”

Meanwhile, after being homeschooled up to that point, Porter Jr enrolled in Columbia’s Father Tolton Regional Catholic HS for ninth grade in 2013. There he led Tolton to its first basketball state title as a junior, averaging 28.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists that season.

But in 2016 a new opportunity was presented to Michael Sr. Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar offered him an assistant coaching position with the Huskies’ men’s basketball program in Seattle. Senior ultimately decided to accept the offer and the Porters found themselves relocating once again.

Romar and Michael Sr had actually known each other since the 1980s, when the two were teammates for Athletes In Action, the sports arm of Cru (then called Campus Crusade for Christ) a non-profit, non-denominational ministry organization. Romar eventually became Porter Jr’s godfather years later.

While Bri and Cierra stayed put in Columbia, Porter Jr transferred to Nathan Hale HS in the Emerald City for his senior year and committed to the Washington Huskies soon after.

In Seattle, Nathan Hale had just hired former NBA All-Star Brandon Roy as its new head coach. Joining MPJ at the school was his younger brother, Jontay, who was coming in as an 11th grader, and their younger brother, Coban, who was entering his freshman year.

The prior season, Nathan Hale had a dismal 3-18 record, but with MPJ and Jontay (who was a top-30 national recruit in his class and had committed to the Huskies for 2018) coming in, and with Roy bringing in other pieces like top-50 Class of 2019 recruit PJ Fuller, expectations were high.

The results? Nathan Hale went undefeated for the season, finishing 29-0 while capturing the state title and the No. 1 spot on MaxPreps’ national team rankings. The sharp-shooting MPJ averaged a ridiculous 36.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.7 blocks, ultimately earning National Player of the Year accolades.

While the Porter brothers enjoyed a perfect season, their father had a completely different experience at Washington in his first year. The Huskies went 9-22, losing a school record 13 straight games and finishing 11th in the Pac-12 with a 2-16 record in conference play—missing out on the NCAA Tournament for a sixth consecutive year. The tough season ultimately cost Romar his job at Washington, where he coached for 15 years.

Call it fate or pure coincidence but on the very same day that Romar was fired at Washington—March 15—Mizzou announced the hiring of Cuonzo Martin, who had just resigned as Cal’s head coach a few hours earlier. Mizzou had fired head coach Ken Anderson just 10 days prior.

And so with MPJ’s godfather no longer at the helm, the Porters saw no reason to remain committed to the Huskies and thus found themselves looking for a new home immediately.

After some talks with Martin, both Michael Jr and Michael Sr had announced that they were coming home—returning to Columbia to join the Mizzou men’s basketball program. Two months later, Jontay announced that he’d do the same by reclassifying to the Class of 2017.

The grand return to Columbia is a family reunion of all sorts. Bri and Cierra are now in their junior and senior years, respectively, and still members of the women’s basketball team, while MPJ, Jontay and Michael Sr (men’s assistant coach) will look to take care of business on the men’s side for the Tigers.

Oh, and for those keeping score of the Porter family tree within the Missouri program, you can add Robin Pingeton, the women’s basketball head coach, to the list. She’s the Porter siblings’ aunt—sister of their mother, Lisa.

“It’s been surreal so far,” Jontay says of his first month on campus with his brother and sisters. “Not everyone has the opportunity to be in college with three other siblings. So it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Adds Bri, “This is probably our last year all in one place, kind of living life together, and so that’s what we talk about. The basketball [side], everyone obviously has an expectation to succeed and excel in that area, but I think what we’ve focused on more is having fun together.”

MPJ and company will look to turn around a program that hasn’t been able to surpass 10 wins in each of the last three seasons. The team has also failed to get more than three wins in conference play in each of those three years. The Tigers haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament in four years and haven’t been able to get out of the first round of the Big Dance since the 2009-10 campaign.

“As time went on, the men’s team just wasn’t what they used to be,” MPJ says, comparing the last few years of the program to when he first sat in section 208 in 2010. “The crowds just got smaller and smaller until this past year they didn’t really have too much of a crowd at games. And so when I left Seattle and committed here, I was really just looking to renew the Mizzou atmosphere that I knew was possible. Coming back here, it was basically a dream come true. I kind of viewed it as God putting the pieces in for me to come back here. It was the perfect situation.”

If anyone has recent experience in turning around a program it’s MPJ, who, along with Jontay, helped flip Nathan Hale into the No. 1 team in the country just a year after the Raiders won three games in the whole season. And Porter Jr already sees some similarities between his new team and his old one.

“The thing about Nathan Hale is Brandon [Roy] was the coach and he brought people in with him to play with us, and I kind of view this as the same situation,” Porter Jr says. “It wasn’t just me turning that program around. Brandon had other players coming with him—and so here, after I committed, I was able to pull in more pieces with me.”

He’s referring to top-50 recruit Jeremiah Tilmon, a former Illinois commit, and top-100 recruit Blake Harris, a former Washington commit, who both agreed to join the Tigers this spring after MPJ came on board. When you add Jontay to the mix, that’s four top-100 recruits that Mizzou welcomed just this fall.

With many considering MPJ a candidate for the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, mostly due to his super versatile scoring arsenal and deadly shooting touch from just about every corner on the floor—leading to plenty of Kevin Durant comparisons—there are some very high hopes this season in Columbia and beyond for the freshman stud.

If you ask Porter Jr, though, none of those expectations mean too much.

“For me, I don’t really try to impress anyone. I honestly play for God and then I play for myself,” MPJ says. “I have my own standards of how I should play. It’s never for anybody else. It’s because I’ve been given a gift and I want to show it—but I don’t do it for other people, I do it for myself. There is some pressure sometimes—living up to the hype—but honestly I know if I keep working then there’s no one that can stand in front of my path.”

—

Franklyn Calle is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @FrankieC7.

Portraits by Jonathan Zizzo

Video by Fathom Studios

—

Related
Bag Talk: Marvin Bagley III Is On His Way To Superstardom

The post Family Over Everything appeared first on SLAM.

Still showing mad love to Seattle, where he played his senior year under former NBAer Brandon Roy, ‎Porter Jr took a break from summer school to hoop in one of the left coast’s finest summer leagues. He effortlessly bombed threes from NBA range, bounced off the floor like a pogo stick, and had four simply ridiculous blocks. Everyone loves to throw out the KD and Brandon Ingram comparisons, but the craziest part is that the 18-year old might be the most explosive of all of the new crop of unicorn forwards and progressed through high school to the point that he jumped 7-1 monster DeAndre Ayton in most recent Class of 2017 rankings.

While Missouri is certainly in a rebuild right now, Michael Porter Jr definitely has the talent and system set up to take Missouri to heights it hasn’t seen in years, which will hopefully break the streak of potential No. 1 picks not even reaching the NCAA Tournament.

Big thanks to Ballislife for the video

Related
Class of 2017 SLAM HS All-Americans 1st-Team
WATCH: Michael Porter Jr. Earns MVP at McDonald’s All-American Game

The post Michael Porter Jr Drops 47 at Jamal Crawford’s Crawsover League appeared first on SLAM.

DeAndre Ayton
7-0, PF, Phoenix (AZ) Hillcrest, Arizona
Ayton led Hillcrest Prep to a 33-6 record and the Grind Session’s national title after averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game this past season. The Nassau, Bahamas native will soon be the latest prospect from the Caribbean to show out at the collegiate level while he aims to take head coach Sean Miller to his first Final Four appearance with the Arizona Wildcats.

Mohamed Bamba
6-11, PF, West Chester (PA) Westtown, Texas
Averaging 12 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks per game, Bamba helped lead his team to a 32-2 record this past season. The Harlem native has an already-scary 7-9 wingspan, which would already be the biggest in the NBA today. With those measurables, Bamba might have the biggest upside of all the top recruits in his class.

Wendell Carter Jr
6-9, PF, Atlanta (GA) Pace, Duke
This future Duke Blue Devil is a threat in the paint and from distance. He led his high school team to a 26-8 record and the Class AAA state title while averaging 22.7 points, 15.5 rebounds and 5.8 blocks per game this season. Carter will follow in the footsteps of Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor and Jayson Tatum as the latest five-star forward to suit up for Coach K.

Trevon Duval 
6-3, PG, Bradenton (FL) IMG, Duke
Regarded as the No. 1 point guard in the country, Duval’s athleticism and explosiveness made him one of the toughest matchups in all of high school ball. He averaged 16.2 points and 7.7 assists for the IMG Academy Ascenders, who finished this season with a 26-2 record. Although he was born in Queens, Duval’s lived in Wilmington, DE since middle school, so he’s constantly looking to put his often slept-on home state on the map.

Michael Porter Jr
6-10, SF, Seattle (WA) Nathan Hale, Missouri
MPJ led Seattle’s Nathan Hale—coached by former NBA All-Star Brandon Roy—on a historic run this past season, claiming the state title and going undefeated with a 29-0 overall record, ultimately finishing ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation. Porter Jr averaged 36.4 points and 13.5 rebounds for the Raiders. The former Washington commit will now be the main attraction in the SEC when he suits up for the Missouri Tigers this fall.

—

Portraits by Justin Borucki. 

Video by Erikson Corniel.

The post Class of 2017 SLAM HS All-Americans 1st-Team appeared first on SLAM.

The Gazette reported on Sunday that his mother, Lisa Becker (now Lisa Porter), averaged a jaw-dropping 58.7 points per game (not a typo) as a senior at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School.

Porter Jr is an early candidate for the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and will be hooping for Mizzou this fall.

More from The Gazette:

In 1983, Lisa Becker scored 58.7 points a game for Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School.

 

“Fifty-eight points a game my senior year, my kids can’t get that,” the-now Lisa Porter said with a laugh from her Seattle home recently. The 6-on-6 game that year’s Iowa “Miss Basketball” played is something from her era, not theirs.

Then she went on to star in the Big Ten Conference, where she would help lead her squad into the Big Dance:

Nationally recruited, she stayed close to home and played for the University of Iowa from 1983-1987, scoring 1,335 points. During that time, the Hawkeyes won their first Big Ten women’s basketball title and went to their first NCAA tourney.

 

Lisa got her MBA and entered the business world, but took some time off to play for Athletes in Action. AIA’s mission statement is “To build spiritual movements everywhere through the platform of sports so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus.”

 

Lisa met her future husband, Michael Porter Sr., in a gymnasium, naturally. It was at a Cincinnati-area where AIA men’s and women’s teams were practicing.

The post Mother of Top HS Recruit Michael Porter Jr Averaged 58.7 Points Per Game as a HS Senior appeared first on SLAM.

Tuesday night in Brooklyn, Jordan Brand athletes Ray Allen and Maya Moore helped kick off JBC Week by greeting the game’s participants with inspiring words—and lots of selfies and Snapchats. Allen, one of the first athletes to ever sign to Jordan Brand, urged the kids to savor the experience this week.  “Take the time to enjoy these moments,” Allen said on the mic, “because they go by fast. But what I want you also to know is, these moments are 10 percent of our lives. The other 90 percent, we’re grinding.”

It’s the fifth consecutive year the event will take place at Barclays Center, and the third event that will include a Girls All-American Game (a new tradition that Moore was instrumental in starting). And this time around, players will wear the Air Jordan XXXI “Flight Guy” colorway during practices and the games on Friday.

Inspired by Jordan Brand’s 30-plus years of transcendent style and pinnacle performance, Jordan has dubbed this year’s class of athletes the “Class of XXXI.” The “Class of” campaign matches up a player’s senior year of high school with that year’s Jordan release. For example, Russell Westbrook is Class of XX and Kawhi Leonard is Class of XXIV.

Before closing his remarks to the players on Tuesday, Allen (Class of VIII) mentioned SLAM in particular as a source of great motivation for his legendary career.

“SLAM Magazine is somewhere around here. When I got drafted—I don’t know if you guys have seen the cover from 1996, SLAM Magazine, it had everybody in my draft class,” Allen told the kids. “On the inside, it had a list of accolades. Most likely to win MVP, most likely to win an NBA Championship. My name was nowhere on there except for one spot, and it said Most Likely To Fade Into Obscurity. Now, I knew what obscurity meant, but I had to look it up in the dictionary because I had to make sure I knew what they were saying. That was one of the best things that ever happened to be. Because, basically, they told me I wasn’t going to be sh*t. Pay attention to stuff people say negatively about you. Not good. Good doesn’t make you work. Negative will piss you off just enough to make you work your ass off.”

Afterwards, we sat down with both Moore and Allen to talk about the Jordan Brand Classic experience, the Class of XXXI campaign, the NBA MVP race and much more. You can listen to those interviews below:

The national game of the 16th annual Jordan Brand Classic will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 on Friday, April 14. Photos courtesy of Jordan Brand.

The post Ray Allen and Maya Moore Help Kick Off Jordan Brand Classic Week in NYC appeared first on SLAM.

For the East, Mohamed Bamba, a top-5 uncommitted senior, tied Porter for a game-high of 17 points, shooting an efficient 7-for-10 from the floor.

The post WATCH: Michael Porter Jr Earns MVP at McDonald’s All-American Game appeared first on SLAM.

pic.twitter.com/vvCrOc2zVT

— Michael Porter Jr. (@TheMPJ1) March 24, 2017

On Wednesday, Michael Porter Jr was awarded the Gatorade State Player of the Year award, a prestigious accolade given to the top HS prospect in the nation. But that isn’t the only reason why he made headlines (and trended on Twitter). After Washington fired his godather Lorenzo Romar last week, where Porter Jr had previously committed to play next season, rumors began spreading that Porter would back away from his commitment to the Huskies and would potentially look to return to Columbia, MO, his hometown, and play for Missouri.

On Wednesday, he publicly commented on the possibilities of that happening. And well, based on the way he spoke, it sounded like a done deal already. He told the St. Louis Dispatch:

“To be able to go back (to Columbia), I know those Mizzou fans are hungry — and I’ve been shown a lot of love from Mizzou fans. It could be something real, real special just to come home and do my thing there, it would special.”

The connections between Porter and Mizzou run deep, after all. His two older sisters play for the women’s basketball team. His aunt, his mother’s sister, is the head coach of the women’s team. His father was an assistant coach for the women’s team for four years until last season, when Romar offered Michael Porter Sr an assistant coaching position at Washington and the family ultimately relocated to Seattle. And prior to moving to the Pacific Northwest last summer, Porter Jr had lived his entire life in Columbia, MO, which is home to Mizzou’s campus.

The post No. 1 Recruit Michael Porter Jr Commits to Mizzou appeared first on SLAM.

On Wednesday, he publicly commented on the possibilities of that happening. And well, based on the way he spoke, it sounded very, very possible. He told the St. Louis Dispatch:

“To be able to go back (to Columbia), I know those Mizzou fans are hungry — and I’ve been shown a lot of love from Mizzou fans. It could be something real, real special just to come home and do my thing there, it would special.”

The connections between Porter and Mizzou run deep, after all. His two older sisters play for the women’s basketball team. His aunt, his mother’s sister, is the head coach of the women’s team. His father was an assistant coach for the women’s team for four years until last season, when Romar offered Michael Porter Sr an assistant coaching position at Washington and the family ultimately relocated to Seattle. And prior to moving to the Pacific Northwest last summer, Porter Jr had lived his entire life in Columbia, MO, which is home to Mizzou’s campus. And to add more fuel to the speculations, there were reports last week that Mizzou’s new head coach, Cuonzo Martin, had offered Porter Sr an assistant coaching position with the men’s program.

But according to today’s report in the St. Louis Dispatch, his father hasn’t accepted any position with the program (yet). Porter Jr did clarify, though, that his dad did in fact recently meet with Martin, who resigned from his head coach position at California a couple of weeks ago. And Porter Jr had nothing but positive things to say of the newly hired coach.

Asked about coach Martin, Porter Jr. said: “I didn’t know his name before he went to Mizzou, but once he went there, I saw it all over social media. It turns out coach Romar knew him really well, and my dad knows who he was, and my dad went to meet with him. And I trust my dad. He said Cuonzo’s a great guy, he’s a winner, he has a competitiveness to him, so I’ve heard all great things about him.”

 

Porter Jr. said he shook Martin’s hand when Martin recently met with Porter Sr. — but he couldn’t speak with the coach because of recruiting rules.

The post Michael Porter Jr Says Playing For Mizzou “Could Be Something Real, Real Special” appeared first on SLAM.

See below for official announcement from the Atlanta Tip-Off Club:

Michael Porter Jr., a 6’9” forward at Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School, and his head coach, Brandon Roy, have been named the 2017 Naismith National High School Player and Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club today announced today. This marks the third time that a player and his coach share top honors, following Jared and Satch Sullinger (Northland High School, Columbus, Ohio) in 2010, and last year’s combo of Lonzo Ball and Steve Baik (Chino Hills High School, Chino, Calif.)

 

Porter Jr., a University of Washington commit, scored 28 points and hauled down 17 rebound in the Raiders 68-51 victory over Roy’s alma mater, Garfield, in the Washington 3A state championship. He averaged 34.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game this season.

 

Roy, a former NBA player, was hired in June 2016, taking over a program that won three games the previous season, and led the Raiders to a perfect season (29-0).

 

“Michael was the leader of a talented team which worked hard and never lost sight of their end goal – a perfect season and winning a state title,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Coach Roy was the steady guidance who motivated this team to improve every single game and ultimately they both were rewarded by winning Naismith awards.”

 

“It’s a dream come true,” Porter Jr. said of winning the Naismith Trophy. “This is the biggest individual accomplishment of my basketball career so far and I feel blessed.”

The post Michael Porter Jr & Brandon Roy Named Naismith National HS Player of the Year & Coach of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

“After evaluating our men’s basketball program, I have determined that a change in leadership is necessary,” UW’s Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. “Today is particularly difficult because Coach Romar is such a beloved member of our University community. I want to thank Lorenzo and his family for 15 years of dedicated service and sacrifice to our University.”

I Love you so Much words can not explain! You had my Back through the ups and downs and I just want to say thank you! It hurts to see you go pic.twitter.com/uqxg39CoF7

— Markelle Fultz (@MarkelleF) March 15, 2017

Frustration grew in Seattle throughout the course of the season with the program’s record ending in a dismal 9-22 for the 2016-17 campaign, including 2-16 in conference play, despite having Markelle Fultz on its roster, who many consider the potential No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. In the 2015-2016 season, the program went 19-15, including a 9-9 record in Pac-12 play, despite having two 2016 NBA Draft first round picks in Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray.

Making matters more complicated, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2017, Michael Porter Jr, had committed to the Huskies after the Romar, who is Porter’s godfather, hired the five-star recruit’s father, Michael Porter Sr, as an assistant coach. The firing now opens the door for Porter Jr to decommit from the program and choose a different program. And according to one report, Porter Jr might be headed to Missouri.

Cuonzo Martin will add Michael Porter Sr as an assistant, per sources. Michael Porter Jr did not sign an NLI.

— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) March 15, 2017

Porter Jr hails from Columbia, MO, and his two older sisters play for Mizzou’s women’s basketball team. His dad was an assistant coach for the women’s team for four years until Romar hired him at Washington this past season.

Loved this coaching staff and couldn’t wait to start something special next year…this hurts.

— Michael Porter Jr. (@TheMPJ1) March 15, 2017

The post Washington Fires Head Coach Lorenzo Romar After 15 Seasons appeared first on SLAM.

The impressive resume subsequently led to them being invited to partake in the prestigious DICK’S HS Nationals in late March in New York. But after deliberating amongst themselves, the team has decided it will not participate in the season-culminating showcase.

More from the Seattle Times, who spoke with Roy and Porter about the decision:

“We appreciate the invite,” said first-year coach Brandon Roy after a school assembly to celebrate the state title. “A lot of people made a lot of it this season and we didn’t. We were just focused on winning the state championship. But I don’t want the kids to get knocked for a decision we’re making now. It just wouldn’t come together this year, but hopefully in the future, it’s maybe something we will be able to do.”

Roy cited that his star player partaking in the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago on March 29, the night before the DICK’S Nationals quarterfinals, played a role in the decision.

“There were a number of reasons why and that’s part of it,” Roy said. “It wouldn’t be fair to have him gone the whole week and then have to fly in and play that day. I don’t think that’s a true sign of a national champion, even if some other teams may be doing it.”

Porter, on the other hand, made it clear that they had done more than enough to prove that they were the best team in the country this year.

“A lot of us wanted to go because Tre’Var (Holland) and Keegan (Crosby) are seniors and we feel like they didn’t get the recognition they deserve from colleges, so it would be another opportunity for them,” Porter said. “But we don’t have anything to prove. I feel we’re the best team in the country.”

And it’s a sentiment that Roy fully supported.

“We feel like we’re the best team in the country,” Roy said. “Even if we would have been able to win Dick’s, we couldn’t say we proved that to every team because California (champions) can’t go. There would still be a lot of unknowns out there even if we went.”

A spokesperson for the DICK’S Nationals spoke with USA Today and gave his take on Nathan Hale’s decision afterward:

“We respect their decision, but it’s the first time a team was eligible to play, with a McDonald’s All-American, that has declined the opportunity to play” said Rashid Ghazi of Paragon Marketing, which assembles the teams for the tournament. “We’ll have five other McDonald’s All-Americans there. While it’s disappointing, we have six teams in the top 10 (of the Super 25) all ready to play and a number of other teams in the top 25 that are calling us, wanting a shot to play.

The post Nathan Hale Declines DICK’S HS Nationals Invitation appeared first on SLAM.

See below for complete list.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The post Naismith HS Boys’ All-American Teams Announced appeared first on SLAM.

It’s an incredible feat for a program that just last season went 3-18 and who had not been to the state tournament since 1994. We caught up with Brandon Roy a couple of months ago in an exclusive interview about his post-NBA career and why he has decided to get into coaching.

The season may not be over just yet for Porter, Roy and Nathan Hale. They are expected to be among the teams invited to the DICK’S National HS Tournament in New York City at the end of the month. Regardless of what happens, what Porter and Roy accomplished this season will certainly be talked about for years to come. Peep the video above for highlights from last night’s championship game.

The post WATCH: Michael Porter Jr Drops 27 Points & 17 Rebounds in State Championship appeared first on SLAM.

It’s an incredible feat for a program that just last season went 3-18 and who hasn’t been to the state tournament since 1994. We caught up with Brandon Roy a couple of months ago in an exclusive interview about his post-NBA career and why he has decided to get into coaching.

Porter, a 6-10 McDonald’s All-American who many tout as the top prospect in the country, posted 36 points and 15 rebounds last night. He is reportedly averaging 37 points and 14 rebounds.

More from the Seattle Times:

Nathan Hale coach Brandon Roy had a strange postgame message for his players, considering the Raiders had just won a state-tournament game by 23 points.

 

“I just told them I apologized for not making sure things were squared away,” Roy said. “But even then that’s still not an excuse.”

 

The fact is, Hale beat Stanwood 86-63 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament. Other than the first three minutes, Hale never trailed, and McDonald’s All-American Michael Porter Jr. scored 36 points and had 15 rebounds.

 

[…]

 

Hale faces a tougher challenge in Friday’s semifinals at 7:15 p.m.: the undefeated Lincoln Abes, who beat Seattle Prep 70-58 in the quarterfinals.

 

(Hale’s players weren’t available to talk after the game, per Roy’s policy. “That was just something I wanted to do after the regular season,” Roy said. “I just felt like this time of year, we want to focus in on what we want to do, and them being high-school kids, I’ll do the talking for them. They need to be prepared to play, and it takes a lot of pressure off of them.”)

The post Michael Porter Jr drops 36 Points & 15 Rebounds in State Quarterfinals appeared first on SLAM.

The post WATCH: Michael Porter Jr. Is The Nation’s Best Scorer appeared first on SLAM.

The post WATCH: 2017 Spalding Hoophall Classic Documentary appeared first on SLAM.

The post Washington Commit Michael Porter Jr. Drops 52 Points & 23 Rebounds appeared first on SLAM.

The five-star 2017 recruit, featured in SLAM 205, continued to show out in #1 ranked Nathan Hale’s 88-47 win over Lakeside, scoring 34 and grabbing 10 boards. His brother Jontay (#11), who will be heading to Washington in 2018, had 15 points and 11 rebounds of his own.

Peep the full highlights from the game above, and stay posted to SLAM for more from Porter on his journey to the League.

Video via Ballislife.

Related
The Porter Brothers Are Dominating HS Ball
WATCH: Top-3 2017 Recruit Michael Porter Jr Shows Out At Les Schwab Invitational
Five-Star Recruits Michael Porter Jr and Marvin Bagley III Face Off

The post WATCH: Michael Porter Jr Drops 34 And 10 appeared first on SLAM.

See below for the complete 2017 list:

Girl’s Game rosters:

The post 2017 McDonald’s All-American Game Rosters Revealed appeared first on SLAM.

Michael Jr, who we featured in SLAM 205, is regarded as a top-3 national prospect for the Class of 2017. He’ll be attending Washington next fall, where his father is an assistant coach and whose head coach Lorenzo Romar is his godfather. His brother, Jontay, will be arriving at Washington in 2018. Peep the video above from BallisLife to catch them in action.

The post The Porter Brothers Are Dominating HS Ball appeared first on SLAM.

“The first couple of weeks, I was able to get in the gym with [Seattle natives] Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Nate Robinson, Spencer Hawes and Dejounte Murray,” recalls the 6-10 wing. “Obviously I had a lot more friends back home but coming out here has been a great opportunity for me—being around these high-level guys. I noticed they all come back to Seattle. It definitely feels like a big family.”

His relocation to Seattle and addition to this basketball-rich family has technically been decades in the making. His father, Michael Sr., hooped at the University of New Orleans and later with Washington Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar in the 1980s, when the two were teammates for Athletes In Action, the sports arm of Cru (then called Campus Crusade for Christ) a non-profit, non-denominational ministry organization. Romar, who had played in the NBA for five seasons previously, eventually coached for AIA before joining the UCLA coaching staff in 1992.

At AIA, the two developed a bond so strong that Romar would eventually become Jr’s godfather. And so when the younger Michael emerged into one of the top recruits in the Class of 2017, the Huskies were naturally expected to have a good shot at bringing him to Seattle.

Except Michael ended up getting there early. Both Michaels.

Porter Sr., who’d been serving as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball program at Missouri since 2013, and as the team’s Director of Basketball of Operations for three years prior to that, accepted an assistant coaching position on Romar’s bench last May. It meant Jr. and the rest of the family would be relocating. At that point, it was only a matter of time before the younger Michael got on board with the Huskies, too.

“Honestly, it was an easy decision for me to pick Washington,” says Porter Jr., who verbally committed to the program two months later. “It was already a top-3 just because I felt I could trust Coach Romar, who has a track record of developing his guards. But then when we moved out here, it became a no-brainer. My dad was going to be on staff and so that’s two people right there that I could trust.”

Even beyond father and son, basketball runs deep in the Porter family. Michael’s younger brother Jontay is a 6-10 junior who already had committed to the Huskies in August of 2015 and will be arriving on campus in 2018. Michael’s two oldest sisters, Bri and Cierra, both play at Mizzou, which made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Their mother, Lisa, played ball at Iowa and is the sister of Missouri women’s basketball head coach Robin Pingeton.

As if the roster of Seattle natives he worked out with upon his arrival in the summer wasn’t strong enough, Porter Jr. is now also being coached by another local legend. Former UW standout and three-time NBA All-Star Brandon Roy became the head coach of Nathan Hale HS (where Porter Jr. plays, though he’s being homeschooled) last June.

“The thing I’ve been most impressed with is Michael’s not like a normal high school senior,” says Roy. “I wish I was as good as this guy is when I was a senior in high school. The things I learned as a rookie and second-year player in the NBA, he’s already doing it now.”

Save for three years at Father Tolton HS in Columbia prior to his move to the Pacific Northwest, Porter has been homeschooled his whole life. Widely touted as a top-3 prospect in the Class of 2017, he’s highly heralded for his versatility, scoring prowess and overall smooth game.

“I want to be the best player in high school basketball,” says Porter Jr. “I want for it to be no question by the end of this season.”

—

Franklyn Calle is an Assistant Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @FrankieC7.

Portraits by Daniel Baum 

The post Next Gen appeared first on SLAM.

Watch the top-3 recruit (and top wing) show out at the 2016 Les Schwab Invitational. Porter displayed both his incredible athleticism and crazy range. The potential is scary.

The Nathan Hale senior will be playing at the University of Washington next season, where his father is an assistant coach. Keep an eye out.

(H/T to BallisLife)

Related
Five-Star Recruits Michael Porter Jr & Marvin Bagley III Face Off
WATCH: Top-3 2017 Recruit Michael Porter Jr. Posts 37 Points and 22 Boards

The post WATCH: Top-3 2017 Recruit Michael Porter Jr Shows Out At Les Schwab Invitational appeared first on SLAM.

The post Five-Star Recruits Michael Porter Jr & Marvin Bagley III Face Off appeared first on SLAM.

Check the highlights above via BallisLife and read more about the stud senior in SLAM’s first ever music issue!

Related
Brandon Roy’s New Chapter
SLAM Fresh 50 — Class of 2017 Rankings

The post WATCH: Top-3 2017 Recruit Michael Porter Jr. Posts 37 Points and 22 Boards appeared first on SLAM.

The 6-6 guard earned the 2006-07 NBA Rookie of the Year award almost unanimously while a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, and by the following season was already selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game—one of three consecutive invitations. He was named to All-NBA teams twice within his first four seasons in the League.

But, nagged by knee injuries, Roy’s career began to slow down drastically in 2010 when tests showed that a lack of cartilage in his knees was giving him trouble. He would go under the knife twice within a 9-month period, and it became evident that his issues were likely irreversible. By the fall of 2011, Roy’s knees had degenerated so much (lost cartilage between the bones of both knees) that he decided it was best to retire from the game.

He would attempt a comeback for the 2012-2013 season, this time with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But just a handful of games into the season, he had season-ending surgery on his right knee. This time, he walked away from the game for good, with career averages of 19 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Since then, Roy has kept a low profile. He refers to the last four years of his life as a period where he finally had time to “relax” and reevaluate life. That was until spring of this year, when his name once again began making the rounds in the basketball universe. He had suddenly decided to return to the game, this time as a coach—at Nathan Hale High School in his hometown city of Seattle, where he took over for a team that went 3-18 last season.

For Roy—who attended Garfield High in the city’s central district—to take a coaching job at the high school level, guiding a team that barely won any games last season? That’s a rarity for a former NBA All-Star.

Just a couple weeks into this season, though, Nathan Hale finds itself ranked among the top 15 programs in the nation. The team is already off to a 5-0 start—thanks to some additions the program made during the offseason. Yes, bringing in Roy was definitely a huge get. The other summer acquisition for Nathan Hale was 6-10 Class of 2017 prospect Michael Porter Jr, who is touted among the top-3 recruits in the senior class. Porter Jr, who (like Roy) will be attending the University of Washington next fall, relocated from Columbia, MO, after his father accepted an assistant coaching position with the Huskies in May.

“The main things he’s been helping me with is the efficiency with my dribbles, my footwork—he was a master with his feet—so I feel like my footwork has gotten a lot better since I got up here,” says Porter Jr. of Roy. “He started teaching me those NBA moves. I’m definitely blessed to have him as a coach.”

As he begins his coaching career and next chapter in life, we caught up with the 32-year-old Roy to talk about dealing with the injuries that led to his shortened NBA career, what he learned from the experience, what led him back to high school ball in Seattle and much more.

SLAM: What were those first few months like when you came to the realization that your playing career was over? You kept a low profile for a while.

Brandon Roy: The biggest thing is, it’s different but the same for everyone. I had a few veterans tell me that. So my last real game was when I was like 27 or 28. And a couple of veterans, and I won’t say their names, but they all reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, B, it doesn’t matter if you’re 38 or 28—this thing is not easy to walk away from.’

So the first thing you have to do is understand that it’s normal to feel the way you do. That helped me so much. Even the greatest player ever came back from retirement—twice! Because this isn’t easy to walk away from.

For me, the first thing I had to do was say, OK, it’s normal for me to be a little sad about this. And the first thing we all want to do is feel sorry for ourselves. I got that for a little bit. I didn’t want to jump into something just because people think you have to work to take your mind off it. I was more of like, You know what? This is the first time in my life that I don’t have to get up and go work out. I don’t have to travel and leave my family for two weeks at a time. I don’t have to mentally prepare myself to play against the best players in the world.

SLAM: That’s a really good point.

BR: At my position, I had to match up against Kobe, LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen—those were the guys I had to get ready for. In 2006, these are the best players around. All that stress and all that work. So I just said, I’m going to relax. I just relaxed and finally said, Hey, I don’t have to play anymore. When it’s over you get to relax and not have to go through that anymore.

Once that was over, I started to think. People were saying, “How about business?” But I was like, I like basketball! You know, I was fortunate enough to play basketball and people sometimes think that because you made money playing basketball you must be really big into business. But I wasn’t really a businessman. I like hoops. I like the competition of strategizing against another team. I tried some radio stuff, which I liked a lot. And a few people asked if I wanted to do TV, but it just wasn’t giving me that feeling like I have now being on the sidelines and in the locker room. So it just developed. I was working guys out. I would get some of the top high school kids and we would work out in the gym. And then it just kind of slowly went from there.

SLAM: When did it become clear that you wanted to coach?

BR: For me, I wanted to coach about a year ago but I didn’t want to commit to it. And then I finally had to tell myself—when you stop committing to things like I did for four years, it’s hard to get back into it—I said, Brandon, you have to get back into the real world. You gotta commit to this and be there everyday for these kids. And then in the spring I finally said I’m ready to do this. And I knew it would be a journey but it’s one I’m enjoying being on.

SLAM: What are some of the lessons you learned from your NBA career that you now find yourself applying to your coaching philosophy and emphasizing to your kids?

BR: I tell these kids to maximize their opportunities. And the reason you say that is because you can’t worry about the things you can’t control. You can’t control injuries but what you can control is what you do every day that you’re healthy. I think sometimes with these kids, they’re young and the best thing about being young is that you can dream. Reality hasn’t set in yet. My knees aren’t going to let me play in the NBA—that’s reality right there. I try to tell these kids keep dreaming but make sure you live in the moment. I learned that from my own experience.

At the end of the day, you want to open up your book and you want to know you dominated every single phase of it. Because when you’re done, that’s all you have. Now that I’m done with basketball, all I have is my memories and everything I did while playing. So when people say, “Brandon, how does it feel? Are you okay with your career?” I’m great! Because I did everything to the fullest of my abilities in basketball. And when the body said I couldn’t, I didn’t harp on it.

SLAM: Did you specifically want to coach at the high school level?

BR: I had a lot of people reach out, even NBA people that I’m good friends with asking if I wanted to do something at that level. Also, there were colleges asking if I wanted to do something at that level. It just felt right to be around the high school kids. Look, I’ve played in the NBA, and it’s hard to get those guys to adjust. And honestly, I didn’t think I was ready to step in and help a professional get better. But I thought I had a pretty good idea of how I could help high school kids. That’s why I felt like the high school level was where I wanted to start my coaching career. And I do call it a career because it’s something I’m enjoying and want to continue to pursue. It almost feels like when I was playing I had to go to high school and college to get ready for the NBA. So that’s where I’m at in coaching—start at the bottom and develop my skills.

SLAM: Nathan Hale went 3-18 last year. Is the thrill of the challenge itself part of what made you decide to start there?

BR: Most guys that have big-time careers, they don’t step into situations like this. Some of it is because a lot of guys are afraid to lose. But I’m not afraid to lose. I want to win. I’ve always heard of the saying, ‘I’m more afraid to lose than I want to win,’ but I’m little bit of the opposite of that. I had an older brother growing up, so I always lost. So being afraid to lose for me is like, So what! I always lost. But when I won, that was the best feeling in the world. That’s the thing with coming to the high school level, I know a lot of these high school coaches are like, ‘Oh, he was an NBA All-Star and now watch me beat him.’ But I like that challenge, knowing that all 30 coaches that we’ll play this year didn’t play in the NBA. So I’m the minority here. I get to overcome something really cool. I think I put the pressure on them to beat me because this is my first year.

SLAM: You have one of the top players in all of high basketball on your team in Michael Porter Jr., who is ranked top-3 in the country. What are some of the things you’re looking to emphasize to him on the court?

BR: Biggest thing is just wasted motion. I’m a huge basketball fan, so I watch other NBA players and I always think, If that guy used less energy and was more efficient with his movements, he’d be a better player. It’s hard to teach a 25- or 28-year-old All-Star because he’s already so good. But with an 18-year-old kid like Michael, I can kind of put all of that stuff in and he’s geared to be like, ‘Perfect, what’s next?’ I always tell him, high school won’t have as many guys that can push him. But that doesn’t mean he can’t add to his game. In college, they’ll have a few more than high school but when he gets to the NBA, he’ll start playing in playoff games, and I never played in the Western Conference Finals, but the games just get tougher. And so I’m just trying to prepare him like, Look, in the Western Conference Finals, they’re not going to let you do that move right there. But working with him—he’d make any trainer look like a genius.

SLAM: What’s been the most challenging part of coaching so far?

BR: Teaching and then seeing kids apply it is probably the most challenging part. You can draw it up and it’ll look perfect. And then the kids can practice it and it looks perfect. And then they get in the game and get a little rattled, and all of that great practice goes out the window. And you’re like, Where did it go?! So getting kids to understand and trust the system is probably the toughest adjustment. Trust the “we” and not the “me” is probably the hardest part.

SLAM: Being around kids now as a coach, how would you compare the culture of the game now to how it was when you were coming up in the early 2000s?

BR: The biggest difference is just the social media. When I was a kid, our world was so small. It was just my high school and that’s the only kids I knew. And now, these kids are best friends with kids from across the country because they can talk everyday. They can see each other online. In my era it was a little easier to be yourself. I only knew a couple of other guys that went to other high schools. I would never talk to them like that, I just knew them in passing. So it was easy for me to say, Hey, I’m going to be Brandon Roy. But nowadays the world is so small that kids get on the Internet and there’s all this popularity going on. And so I think kids are even more insecure as they try to fit in even more now because they see what everyone is doing in the world. When I was coming up, it wasn’t like that. It was just, Hey, what are the other guys doing in your neighborhood? I think there’s more pressure on them because there’s so much attention and media, and so everybody is a critic now. When I was in high school and I lost or didn’t do well, if you didn’t read the newspaper then you wouldn’t have known. I just try to tell the kids, Don’t let anyone outside of this locker room put any extra pressure on you.

—

Franklyn Calle is an Assistant Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @FrankieC7.

Photos via Getty Images

The post Brandon Roy’s New Chapter appeared first on SLAM.

A couple of five-star recruits have shown that academics are beginning to play a bigger role in their college decisions than ever before. A couple of top-10 kids have considered Harvard along with the traditional high-major programs.

In terms of recruiting, Alabama, Duke, Kentucky and UCLA have all succesfully landed a good chunk of the top-50 list.

All in all, there’s a lot to be excited about with this class. We’ll update this list once again in the spring after the season. For now, here’s our current SLAM Fresh 50 for the Class of 2017:

—

Photo by Layne Murdoch

The post SLAM Fresh 50 – Class of 2017 HS Rankings appeared first on SLAM.

The post Michael Porter Jr. Is The Top Wing In The Class of 2017 appeared first on SLAM.

“I know I’m not where I wanna be, which is in the NBA one day, and I just got to keep working,” a humble Porter Jr stated in the video.

Porter Jr most recently made a big stir by relocating high schools for his senior year. He left Columbia, MO, to attend Nathan Hale, in Seattle, WA. And that’s not even the juiciest part. He also committed to the University of Washington—wait it gets even better. Nathan Hale’s head coach is none other than Brandon Roy. Yes, that’s right, the former University of Washington standout, NBA All-Star, and Washington state native Brandon Roy.

Safe to say, Porter Jr has been learning from the best.

The post Five-Star SF Michael Porter Jr Trains with Stephen Curry (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Blessed to announce that I will be attending the University of Washington! #Huskies pic.twitter.com/bUCCFJizXw

— Michael Porter Jr. (@TheMPJ1) July 15, 2016

More info below from the Seattle Times:

The Washington men’s basketball team landed perhaps the biggest recruit in the history of the program when Michael Porter Jr., a five-star 2017 prospect, pledged to play for the Huskies.

 

Porter, 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward, is considered a top-five recruit.

 

Rivals.com has him ranked No. 2 nationally. He’s fourth on ESPN’s list and fifth in on Scout.com’s ranking. ESPN and Scout also consider him the top small forward in the country.

 

Recently, Porter included Indiana, Virginia, Oklahoma and Missouri among his final five choices after eliminating Duke and Kansas.

 

Porter is the latest addition to Washington’s 2017 recruiting class that includes Jaylen Nowell, a four-star guard at Garfield High and Blake Harris, a three-star guard from North Carolina.

 

Porter also joins his father Michael Porter Sr., a recently hired UW assistant. Porter’s brother Jontay, a 2018 recruit, has verbally committed to the Huskies.

 

The Porter brothers moved to Seattle with their father and will play at Nathan Hale High during the 2016-17 season for new head coach Brandon Roy, the former Huskies great and NBA star.

The post Washington Lands Commitment From Top Ranked SF Michael Porter Jr appeared first on SLAM.

In the end, MOKAN Elite, a Kansas City based program featuring a dynamic duo of top-25 national prospects looked unstoppable throughout the weekend, going a perfect 8-0 before claiming the 17U championship. The duo, made up of forward Michael Porter Jr. and point guard Trae Young, had the crowd buzzing with their play, including their effectiveness from behind the perimeter.

Overall, with Nike’s circuit hosting 9 of the top 10 prospects in the rising senior Class of 2017, the showcase featured lots of high quality talent as well as action. Below are some of the top performers from the weekend.

Michael Porter Jr., 6-10, SF, Nathan Hale (WA), Class of 2017: They say that what separates the good ballers from the great ones is that the great ones step up when the stakes get higher. And if we learned anything this past weekend about the Class of 2017, it’s that Porter Jr. is among the great ones in this group. His performance throughout the weekend have many considering him for the top spot in the 2017 class. In his seven games at Peach Jam, the 6-9 wing scored 24 or more points in all but one. But it’s really what he did in his last three games (quarterfinals, semis, & championship) that cemented his place this weekend. He posted 31 points and 14 rebounds in the quarterfinals, followed by 25 and 14 in the semis and then 33 points and 6 rebounds in the title game against PSA Cardinals — where he went five for six from behind the perimeter and 12 for 16 overall from the field to help lead his MOKAN Elite squad to the 17U crown.

Trae Young, 6-2, PG, Norman North (KS), Class of 2017: While Porter made a case for top overall prospect in the 2017 class, his AAU teammate Trae Young made his case for top point guard of the group. The rising senior showcased his deadly scoring prowess as well as the ability to find the open man. He averaged 27.6 points during the five pool play games before following it up by averaging 26.0 points during the three bracket play games (quarters, semis, finals) en route to claiming the Peach Jam crown. His memorable performances included dropping 32 and 35 points on the last day of pool play and then dropping 28 points in the quarterfinals and then another 28 points in the championship game, where he sunk six 3-pointers. But he isn’t just a natural scorer. Young, who loves to push the ball and keep the defense on their toes, reached 9 or more assists in four of his eight games. Many were left wondering if a package deal to college with Porter could be in the cards and potentially bring the lucky school similar results as it did to MOKAN.

Brian Bowen, 6-7, SF, La Lumiere (IN), Class of 2017: Fresh off a championship game appearance in the DICK’S Nationals tourney, Bowen has continued his impressive play during the spring and summer, where he helped lead the Chicago-based Meanstreets program to the Peach Jam quarterfinals this past weekend. During pool play, the 6-7 wing posted a performance of 36 points and 10 rebounds, which he followed with a 26-point and 10-rebound outing the next day. Out of his six games in South Carolina, Bowen scored 19 or more points in all but one of those outings. The gifted scorer has emerged as one the top overall prospects in the senior class.

Lonnie Walker, 6-5, SG, Reading (PA), Class of 2017: His best outing with Team Final came on Thursday when he dropped 26 points in a morning game (where he shot 4 for 8 from 3-point land against a very talented Each 1 Teach 1 squad) and then again another 26 points that evening. An exceptional shooter whose team unfortunately didn’t make it out of pool play, Walker demonstrated why he’s regarded as among the elite scorers in the Class of 2017.

DeAndre Ayton, 7-0, PF, Hillcrest Academy (AZ), Class of 2017: The big man out of the Bahamas scored 17 or more points in all seven of his games at Peach Jam, helping lead his Cal Supreme squad to the showcase’s semifinals, where they were defeated by the eventual champs MOKAN Elite. Furthermore, he had a double-double in all but one of his seven outings, including a 23-point and 18-rebound performance vs the Phoenix Family, which features his former Hillcrest teammate Marvin Bagley (15 pts). The seven-footer, who has been ranked as the top player in the Class of 2017 the last couple of years made his case on why it should continue to remain that way.

Gary Trent Jr., 6-5, SG, Apple Valley (MN), Class of 2017: Finishing second in scoring behind Young with 24.8 points per game at Peach Jam, Trent Jr. demonstrated why he’s regarded as one of the top wings in the nation. His scoring clinic included a 38-point outing against the eventual champs MOKAN Elite. He finished with 22 or more points in all but one of his five games in North Augusta, including a couple of 30+ point outings.

Hamidou Diallo, 6-5, SG, Putnam Science (CT), Class of 2017: One of the most explosive prospects in the senior class, Diallo’s high-flying athleticism makes him a highlight-reel waiting to happen every time he steps on the floor. The guard out of Queens, NY, exploded for 27 points and 13 rebounds against BABC on Friday. A year ago, Diallo was barely ranked in the top-80, yet today is recognized as a top-10 national prospect.

Mitchell Robinson, 6-11, C, Chalmette High (LA), Class of 2017: The big man out of New Orleans demonstrated his dominance in the lane and particularly showcased his force against the Phoenix Family and Marvin Bagley, when he posted a stat line of 19 points and 13 rebounds. A double-double machine who averaged 15.5 points and 11.6 rebounds during the EYBL regular season, Robinson, who recently committed to Western Kentucky, is also a blocking machine who averaged 4.6 blocks in his five Peach Jam games, including seven rejections against Albany City Rocks.

Chaundee Brown, 6-5, SG, The First Academy (FL), Class of 2017: One of the most consistent prospects in the tourney, Robinson scored 20 or more points in all five of his outings, finishing among the top 5 scorers in the showcase during pool play. One would think his stock will be on the rise after last week’s performances.

Jordan Goodwin, 6-5, SG, Althoff (IL), Class of 2017: Despite being a guard mostly positioned out on the perimeter, Goodwin managed to finish with a double-double in all but one of his five games last week as he continuously crashed the boards, ultimately finishing with an average of 21.8 points and 11.0 rebounds for the showcase — good enough for top-6 in both categories.

Photos Credit: Jon Lopez/Nike

The post 2016 Nike Peach Jam Top Performers appeared first on SLAM.

Ayton didn’t begin playing until late May at the third and final UAA session in New York, where he put up 15 and 15, 28 and 13, and 18 and 19 in three of his four outings.

Right behind him is Wendell Carter, who enjoyed an impressive run with the Georgia Stars in the prestigious Nike EYBL circuit, where he averaged 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds before winning the 17U championship after defeating the St. Louis Eagles in thePeach Jam title game.

All in all, this class features a nice mix of inside and outside talent. We’ll update the list twice more throughout the season and expand it to 50 by the spring.

(Photo Credit: Atiba Jefferson)

The post SLAM Fresh 25 – 2017 appeared first on SLAM.

Check out the release below from our friends at the Nike:

As the summer comes to a close, the top high school players will travel to Nassau, Bahamas, August 19-23, 2015 for elite training, mentorship and competition. Athletes selected for the program are standouts from the 2015 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, which included sessions in Hampton, VA, Lexington, KY, Houston, TX, Minneapolis, MN and the finals at Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC. The complete EYBL Select Team roster can be found below.

 

The EYBL Select Team will take the court at the Kenal G. L. Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau on August 20th and 21st for two days of intense training among the best of their peers. Individual skills will be the focus of the practices led by coach Miles Simon, collegiate national champion and current ESPN analyst. With just 12 players in rotation for drills, athletes will be expected to keep with the summer’s Nike EYBL theme of #ShowAndProve

 

Just as importantly, players will be provided essential tools to develop critical off-court skills to their future success. These sessions will focus on sports psychology, nutrition, life skills, media training and increasing players’ social media savvy and personal brand development.

 

“This trip is about taking things to the next level – elevating training regimens and creating a competitive atmosphere among the top players in our program” said Carlton DeBose, Director of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball. “This will be a great opportunity for players to showcase their individual work ethic, competitiveness and character as we ask them to train alongside the stars of the future.”

 

The rigorous training period will culminate with an exhibition game versus the Bahamian National Select Team on August 22nd at 5 p.m. local time at the Isaacs National Gymnasium. The event will be open to the public, as well as NBA scouts, and will be a unique opportunity for the EYBL Select Team to showcase their talents while engaging with the local community.

EYBL Select Team Roster

The post Roster for Nike EYBL Select Team Slated to Hoop in the Bahamas Next Week Revealed appeared first on SLAM.

Last Saturday, West Orange High School was the scene of the 5^th Annual Mary Kline Classic. Hosted by Alex Kline, the all–star charity event brought together high school hoops phenoms from across the nation to raise money for the National Brain Tumor Society and brain tumor research at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. This year’s event raised over $43,000.

Here are some of the players that stood out:

Prince Ali, 6-5, G, Sagemont School, 2015

This Prince made some of his defenders look like paupers as he scored 25 points and collected MVP honors for Team Perseverance in the Senior Game. Ali is a skill ball-handler who can either create space for a mid-range jump shot or creatively get to the basket. He also had no problem draining shots from deep. His long arms and physical style of play could also lead to him being a good perimeter defender at the next level. Look for Ali to be in the mix next year at UCLA.

Curtis Jones, 6-3, G, Huntington Prep (WV), 2016

Jones dropped 30 points in a losing effort, but was named MVP for Team Inspiration in the Underclassmen Game. As a combo guard, Jones is able to man both positions, but seems most comfortable when he scoring the ball. He possesses great size, and quickness to get by his defender, but also has a J to keep defenses honest (nailed 4 triples). Jones also possesses good body control that allows him to avoid defenders in midair while finishing at the rim. His senior year will be even more disastrous for his opponents once he adds muscle. Programs such as Georgetown, Indiana, Wake Forest, Maryland, and Xavier are in pursuit.

Derrick Jones, 6-7, WF, Archbishop Carroll (PA), 2015

This gentleman seems to outdo himself each time he steps on the court. Shortly after soaring over four people to win the dunk contest, Jones scored 36 points en route to being named MVP for Team Courage in the Senior Game. Not only did he manage to show improvements in his game by converting midrange jumpers off of the bounce, Jones also drained threes and made crisp passes in transition. With Jones’ freakish athleticism and improving perimeter game, he will definitely compete for minutes next year at UNLV.

Chris Lykes, 5-7, PG, Gonzaga (DC), 2017

I pity the player who dares to look at this kid and automatically thinks it’ll be sweet because his lack of size. Mr. Lykes netted 18 points and walked away with the MVP award for Team Bravery. Lykes looked like a surgeon with ball in his hands as he operated through defenses to either score or dime it to his fellow teammates. Lykes can score at all levels, and can absorb contact when finishing amongst the trees. Be on the lookout as the sophomore guard is already receiving offers from the Atlantic 10 and CAA programs.

Michael Porter, 6-9, SF, Tolton Catholic (MO), 2017

He’s listed as a small forward, but I’m more apt to just call this kid a player. There’s really no need to limit what he does on the court to a position. You name it. Porter does it. Porter’s tantalizing combination of size, athleticism, and perimeter skills has every major program in the country competing for his services.

The post 2015 Mary Kline Classic Standouts (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Session two brought the EYBL to Lexington, home of one of Nike’s flagship programs in the Kentucky Wildcats. Former EYBL standouts Willie Cauley-Stein, Devin Booker, and Dakari Johnson all made their way through the Kentucky Basketball Academy to show love to their former grassroots teams before they make their way to the league. Being an open period in which college coaches can attend games, guys like John Calipari, Coach K, Roy Williams, Thad Matta, and Co. were all supplanted courtside for what was an amazing weekend of hoops.

Here are a few of the top youngsters that caught our eye in session two of the EYBL:

Michael Porter, 6-9, SF, MOKAN Elite, 2017

While Tatum may have put up better numbers throughout the weekend, Michael Porter did a lot of things that most 6-foot-9 cats simply dream of doing. Nicknamed “Baby KD,” Porter was totally fluid doing work from the perimeter and had zero problem breaking down smaller guys to get to the rack. He used his size to finish over the top of the D and provided a shot-blocking presence in the paint. When Porter has his “A game” going like he did in Lexington, there isn’t a better sophomore in the country besides DeAndre Ayton.

Troy Brown, 6-6, PG, Las Vegas Prospects, 2017

The biggest point guard in the EYBL, Troy Brown showed off the unique package of skills that have made him a consensus top-5 guy in the class. The Centennial product finished creatively in the paint, made some ridiculous passes in transition, and was able to defend all three perimeter positions. Troy is still developing as a decision maker (as seen by a few of his turnovers), but it’s simply rare that you see a lead guard with his combination of talent and size at just 16 years old.

Trae Young, 6-1, PG, MOKAN Elite, 2017

A guy who I hadn’t seen yet in person, Trae Young lived up to the hype and more in Lexington. He used his deceptive athleticism to get by defenders and then finish creatively at the tin. His ability to shoot it from deep kept the D honest and anytime he had the rock in his hands, he was a threat to make a play. Already with offers from virtually the entire Big 12, Young has established himself as one of the very best lead guards in the class of 2017.

Markus Howard, 511, PG, Las Vegas Prospects, 2017

Markus Howard may not be the biggest guy, but he simply got buckets on anyone who guarded him throughout the weekend. He was fearless attacking the rim, drilled countless deep J’s, and locked up against guys six inches taller than him at times. The Arizona native will have big shoes to fill, as he”ll be replacing Duke-bound Derryck Thornton as the next lead guard for Findlay Prep.

John Petty, 6-5, SG/SF, Alabama Challenge, 2017

‎A guy who is continuing to emerge on the national level, John Petty showed that he could hold his own with the nation’s finest at the 17U level. As smooth of a wing as you’ll find in the class of 2017, Petty created his own shot with ease and had no problem scoring from all three levels. He was deadly pulling up off of the bounce, got to the rack with straight line drives, and hit threes with his feet set. With offers from SEC programs rolling in virtually every week, Petty definitely showed that he’s a top-25 player in the class.

Javonte Smart, 6-4, PG, Elfrid Payton Elite, 2018

The youngest player who is getting serious burn in the EYBL, Javonte Smart proved that he is no ordinary freshman. Standing 6-foot-4 with an outstanding motor, Smart ran the show for EP Elite, created opportunities for others, and locked down on guys from all three perimeter positions. Like most young point guards, the Baton Rouge native needs to cut down on his turnovers, but you can definitely see the similarities between he and EP himself.

The post Nike EYBL Lexington Session: Top Underclassmen appeared first on SLAM.

Scroll through the photos above to check out some of the top performers in action.

The post Nike EYBL Session #2 Lexington, KY (PHOTOS) appeared first on SLAM.

While Otto Porter Jr. is hooping with the Washington Wizards, his younger cousin, Michael Porter Jr. — a highly touted HS sophomore — has garnered the attention of scouting services and college coaches over the last couple of years. On Monday night, the five-star 6-9 forward demonstrated that the early notoriety isn’t all hype, showcasing his jaw-dropping athleticism. A video that began circling the web throughout the night, and eventually finished No. 1 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10, shows Porter taking off from a step inside the free throw line for a one-handed jam over a defender. Looks like it’s only a matter of time before another Porter lands in the big league.

The post HS Sophomore Michael Porter Dunks from Step Inside FT Line (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.