How Michael Porter Jr. Would Fit with the 2018–19 Chicago Bulls
Heading into the 2017–18 season, Michael Porter Jr. was near the top of most 2018 mock drafts. The number one ranked player in his high school class before the reclassification of Marvin Bagley III, Porter was considered to be among the favorites to be selected first overall this year. Unfortunately, Porter Jr. played only two minutes in his college debut before leaving with soreness in his back, and after a couple of weeks it was revealed that he would require back surgery, forcing him to miss the entire regular season, though he made it back to play in Missouri’s SEC and NCAA tournament games. With such a small college sample, and a worrisome injury, a consensus hasn’t really formed on MPJ yet, with projections to go as high as second overall as well as falling towards the 10th pick. If he were still available at No. 7, how would he fit with the Bulls going forward?
The appeal to Porter Jr is very obvious: He can score in bunches. His play was getting comparisons to Kevin Durant as early as his sophomore year in high school, and while comparing any high schooler to the former MVP is a bit much, it’s easy to see where it was coming from. The 6-foot-11-inch Porter is long and has a very good jumper that he can get off over most defenders. He’s also a very good ball handler for his size, with the potential to take on a bit of a point-forward role in the future. His length allows him to catch lobs around the rim with ease and he can run the break and score in transition.
Outside of his health, the biggest concerns with Porter Jr come on the defensive side of the ball, as well as his efficiency as a scorer. He has the physical tools to be a good defender at both forward spots, and he’s flashed good instincts off the ball. He also showed the ability to stay in front of guys on the perimeter. However he was often caught looking instead of rotating to help when needed, and could be pushed around a bit down low both when defending in the post and fighting for position as a rebounder. Offensively while he is tremendously skilled, he has a tendency to settle for tough shots, and isn’t the strongest passer.
So how does all of that fit with the Bulls? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Lauri Markkanen had a very good rookie season, and proved to be someone that the team should be building around. Defensively, a Porter Jr.-Markkanen frontcourt would likely struggle quite a bit. While all of his offensive abilities make him a player you want to keep on the court, Markkanen is not a good rim protector, and played best as a power forward next to a stronger down-low defender like Robin Lopez. MPJ will struggle to defend the rim at least initially in the NBA, though there is hope there. He has the physical tools to improve, and while he was pushed around a bit in high school, getting into an NBA weight room could help him improve in that regard.
While there are concerns about that pairing on the defensive side, offense is a different story. Porter and Markkanen would give the Bulls two young forwards with the ability to stretch the floor and score in a variety of ways. More importantly, MPJ has the potential to carry the load offensively, and do it at a very high level, something the Bulls don’t currently have. While the league has rightfully moved away from isolation-heavy offenses and toward motion and ball movement heavy ones, it’s still important to have a reliable guy who can find you buckets when you need one most, and Porter may have the highest potential in that regard of any player in this draft class.
Though he comes with quite a few question marks, Michael Porter has an incredibly high ceiling, and as a team in Year Two of a rebuild, the Bulls can afford a bit of a risk with this pick. Porter is part of a group of seven players who I believe have separated themselves as this class’s top tier. The Bulls have the seventh pick, and if he’s the one of that group who is still on the board when the Bulls are on the clock, there’s no reason to look to anyone else.
