Throughout Missouri's basketball season, much has been made about where freshman Michael Porter Jr. will go in the NBA dfraft whenever he declares after undergoing back surgery in November.
Now the conversation has shifted to his younger brother Jontay.
On Thursday, Jontay Porter was listed as the No. 30 overall prospect in the 2018 draft class by DraftExpress, an ESPN partner that is considered the most in-depth and accurate draft projection site by those in the industry. The ranking doesn't necessarily mean Jontay Porter would be a first- round draft pick should he declare at the end of the season but it shows that the 6-foot-11 freshman's stock with pro scouts and executives is higher than was previously thought.
Porter recently replaced junior Kevin Puryear in the Tigers starting lineup and he had 10 points and seven rebounds in Missouri's win over No. 21 Tennessee on Wednesday. The Tigers play at Texas A&M Saturday.
"Very mature and poised player," Puryear said. "Especially for his age with how young he is. I'm really proud of him. Just to see his growth from the time he got here in the summer to now is great to see. The crazy thing is he's 18 and he's got a lot more basketball to play."
Porter's age is an advantage because he's draft eligible despite skipping his senior season of high school to reclassify and play with his older brother at Missouri. The NBA rule is that a player must be a year removed from high school and be 19 years old in the draft calendar year.
Playing for Missouri as a stretch-power forward, Jontay Porter is built for today's NBA because he's a taller player who can shoot from beyond the arc, similar to Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks. For the season, Porter is averaging 8.6 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. With point guard Blake Harris' departure, he's second on the team in assists with 38.
An NBA scout recently told The Star that Jontay Porter could be a first-round pick but "not this year."
The same scout doubled down on his previous thoughts despite Thursday's ranking. Professional scouts are not allowed to talk publicly about the players they evaluate.
"I just don't see it," the scout said. "But this is a very weak draft."
